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The Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset has had something of a rough ride since its release. While the engineering involved is impressive, the $3,499 price tag in combination with some early adopter woes seems to have taken some of the shine off of a device that Apple CEO Tim Cook described as “the beginning of a new era for computing”.
Apple’s most recent earnings call makes slim mention of the headset, instead focussing on overall revenue, a fair bit of AI and machine-learning doublespeak, and sales of iPads, Macbooks and iPhones. However, we did glean a little tidbit of information from Tim Cook’s introductory remarks, as he revealed that “more than half of the Fortune 100 companies have already bought Apple Vision Pro units, and are exploring innovative ways to use it to do things that weren’t possible before”, before moving on to other topics.
The reveal that some of the world’s top-performing companies bought at least one of the new headsets isn’t surprising, given that a substantial number of them are tech industry or tech industry-adjacent businesses that likely wanted a look for themselves at Apple’s latest doohickey.
After all, given Apple’s position as the top-performing technology company in the 2023 list, any big release in a new segment of the market was likely worth a punt, particularly as Apple went big on the sales pitch, calling the Vision Pro “a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world while allowing users to stay present and connected to others”.
While some companies may have decided to pick up a few for testing, when it comes to Vision Pro sales overall, things don’t look entirely rosy. Recent reports have suggested that Apple had slashed production volumes in half before the headset even went on sale outside of US markets, which suggests that US demand was much lower than expected.
While the astronomical price tag is likely to be a limiting factor as to how many people can afford one, it’s not like the Vision Pro garnered entirely positive reviews. Many pointed out the weight and bulky nature of the device, while others experienced inconsistent feature implementation and feelings of isolation.
While any “revolutionary” new product release is likely to have some teething issues, Apple’s seeming reluctance to discuss sales revenue regarding the Vision Pro is telling. It doesn’t seem like it’s been a home run so far for sales of the VR/AR headset even if some companies bought in on a few units, although time will tell if this ends up being a slow early adoption issue, or potentially the new USB “Hockey Puck Mouse” of unloved Apple devices.