Apple Vision Pro, remember that? Apple is reportedly struggling to sell its existing stock of the headset and is cutting production because of low demand.
Worse still, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg that interest in free demonstrations of the device has flatlined in Apple stores with people booking appointments and not showing up. And Gurman adds his sources tell him Apple stores were selling a couple of units a day but are now down to just a handful per week.
Another Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, says the tech giant is now only expecting to sell around 400,000 to 450,000 units in 2024, far below the “market consensus” of 700,000 to 800,000 it was expecting.
Apple has stepped up its marketing of the Vision Pro: advertising it heavily on the homepage of its website which Gurman says is the company’s most aggressive pitch since the device went on sale in February.
Are Customers Who Forked Out Thousands of Dollars Happy With Their Vision Pro?
Another issue is whether people who bought the headset are still using it. Just a couple of weeks after the launch customers started to return Apple’s first virtual reality product. The hefty $3,500 price tag meant that some customers took advantage of Apple’s 14-day return policy.
Gurman notes his own experiences with the Vision Pro saying that he initially was using the headset whenever he watched a film or YouTube. But the “initial buzz” has worn off and the Vision Pro is simply too unwieldy to use daily.
“Going through the process of attaching the battery, booting it up, and navigating the interface often doesn’t feel worth it,” he writes for Bloomberg.
Other complaints are that the Vision Pro removes the user from the real world making it odd to use around other people. Who can forget those initial videos of people doing strange things with the Vision Pro: wearing it on the subway, driving a car with one attached (not advised), and eating out to dinner with it on.
Gurman adds that the device is best used alone such as on a long flight or while working from home.
PetaPixel’s Jeremy Gray attended a demonstration at his local Apple store saying he was “blown away” by the Vision Pro but wouldn’t be buying one.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.