• Analysis from the IDC suggests that Apple won’t even move half a million Vision Pro headsets this year.
• This is due to the cost and because those who wanted a Vision Pro, already have one.
• The company has reportedly stopped working on a follow up Vision Pro in favour of a more affordable headset.

Apple has a habit of releasing a product that gains immense popularity in a short amount of time. Of course, it also launches duds and while it may be too early to call time of death, the Apple Vision Pro may join the former list.

This is according to Bloomberg citing data from the IDC which reports that sales of the mixed-reality headset have not yet reached the 100 000 unit per quarter mark. The IDC says that this may simply be down to the fact that those who wanted – and can afford – the headset, likely already have one. Still, it’s not likely to get better as the IDC further predicts that the headset won’t move 500 000 in this year.

The price of the headset is potentially the biggest factor keeping buyers at bay. The Apple Vision Pro costs about as much as a notebook at $3 500 and aside from the cool functionality, it’s not something most people would use on a day-to-day basis.

In 2022, a study found that working in VR was worse than working without a massive headset strapped to your face in every way. Participants in the study reported lower productivity, lower well-being, more frustration and most importantly, that headsets are too heavy.

The tech has just failed to reach a point where it’s a viable alternative to the incumbent: a laptop or desktop PC with a display. While Apple made several leaps forward with the technology, the Vision Pro is still a bulky and pricey piece of kit. Unfortunately for Apple, the headset is also locked to the Apple ecosystem where whereas alternatives, while less feature-rich, are compatible across more platforms.

But as the IDC reported in June, global shipments of AR and VR headsets declined 67.4 percent in Q1 2024. The firm says this is as a result of the market moving toward mixed and extended reality headsets. However, if firms want to move product they need to reduce the price of entry, something that won’t happen for a while yet.

Don’t get us wrong, virtual and augmented reality can be fun for a few minutes but once the novelty wears off you start to notice the pitfalls.

Apple has expanded the availability of the Vision Pro to more markets with the headset available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK starting from today. The headset has been available in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore since June according to CNBC.

Apple is said to be working on a more affordable version of the Vision Pro but we shouldn’t expect word on that until next year says PCMag. It has also suspended work on a follow-up to the Vision Pro in favour of the more affordable headset.

Of course, counting Apple out is a mistake so let’s see how the company plays this slow growth. Maybe in a year, we’ll be singing the Cupertino firm’s praises.