We have recently covered that the hype surrounding the Vision Pro has cooled down, and demand for the headset is far lower than when it launched. The Apple Vision Pro did not pan out to be a hot seller as it was originally anticipated by the company, which is why shipment orders have been cut down. Potentially, the lower-than-expected demand is due to the hefty price tag of the Vision Pro, as it is one of the most expensive mixed reality headsets on the market right now.
Vision Pro demand takes a major hit as the company has now ordered fewer units of the headset
With the demand falling below expectations, Apple has decided to order fewer shipments, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, and there might be multiple reasons why users lost interest. The company was targeting 700,000 to 800,000 shipments for 2024 initially, but looking at the downward trajectory of the demand, Apple will cut down the orders by almost half. Now, the company is expected to seek 400,000 to 450,000 shipments from suppliers this year. The trend could stretch till 2025, causing Apple to change its course of action.
Mark Gurman recently shared details on the Vision Pro in his Power On newsletter, highlighting declining demand for demos, with only a handful of sales per week in some Apple Stores. While there can be many reasons for the lower-than-expected demand, the hefty $3,499 price tag is not for everyone. Kuo claims that Apple is reevaluating the Vision Pro roadmap as he speculates that demand will continue to fall next year.
It appears that Apple is being cautious of the market and ordering fewer units, despite the company's decision to expand the availability to additional markets. It was previously reported by Kuo that the company will make the Vision Pro headset available in Canada before the WWDC 2024 event, which means that the overall demand could see a boost. However, the product could see the same fate in additional regions unless the price is brought down, and the second generation of Vision Pro could solve this problem.
We reported earlier that the company is working on a budget variant of the Vision Pro that could cost far less than the current model, possibly between $1,500 and $2,500. Apple aims to launch a successor to the Vision Pro next year, and until then, shipments are expected to see a downward trend.
Other than the price, Gurman also stated that using the Vision Pro is an inconvenience compared to a laptop or a tablet, even for media consumption, due to its battery attachment and visionOS interface. Furthermore, Kuo also believes that Apple should devise proper use cases and app support for a seamless user experience. We will keep you updated on the Vision Pro demand, so be sure to stick around.
