Apple’s Vision Pro Loses Its Spark: Not Many Fans After the Big Launch

It looks like folks are already over Apple’s Vision Pro, as Bloomberg spills the beans. This $3,500 VR gadget, which was supposed to be the next big thing, is turning out to be more of a luxury few want and even fewer can afford. Despite causing quite a stir with folks lining up at Apple stores when it first dropped in February, the buzz has pretty much fizzled out.

Here’s the scoop: Apple threw eight years and a pile of cash into making the Vision Pro. But just a few months in, and the excitement is cooling off big time. This isn’t great for Apple, which had high hopes for making a splash with this high-end toy. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg mentioned on Sunday that not only is the price tag a massive hurdle, but the interest in trying out the device has plummeted since its launch.

On the sales front, the Vision Pro did kick off with a bang, selling 180,000 units over one weekend in January during preorders. But now, Apple’s cranking up their marketing efforts, probably trying to get more eyeballs on the device, which is now getting some prime real estate on their website.

Over on Reddit, users aren’t shy about their gripes with the Vision Pro. They’re finding it a pain to use daily—too bulky, too fiddly with its need for a battery attachment, and just too much hassle every time you want to dive into VR.

It’s not just a Vision Pro issue, though. VR gadgets in general tend to lose their shine once the novelty wears off, a point Gurman touched on. Even Business Insider’s Jordan Hart saw the writing on the wall back in February, admitting she quickly ran out of reasons to strap on the headset after just a week. Gurman himself went from using it all the time to barely touching it because it’s just too cumbersome for everyday use.

This dip in enthusiasm for Apple’s latest innovation is hitting at a time when the tech giant is already dealing with other challenges, like drops in revenue and some tough scrutiny from regulators.

One response

Ben

Remember the Apple Watch. Huge interest in the beginning. Then waning. Now a solid business. Not all the use cases from the beginning are valid. Others have emerged. It takes time and Apple is in for the long haul. Figuring out what works along the way.
VR and especially the Vision Pro is expensive. So mostly adults 30+ buying. Who in general do not adapt as easily to new ways. Once (and if) some of the true kinks are ironed out, the whole ‘fiddly’ thing will be forgotten. People will have adapted that you have to do something -putting on the VR glasses and switching them on etc.’- and see this as normal instead of ‘extra work’ and fiddly. Do you consider ‘going to the cinema’ fiddly and cumbersome? Probably not. Expensive maybe and not always convenient. But the act itself not. We are simply used to it.
Despite what adults think, they are not as flexible in their ways as they think. It takes some time and perseverance. VR has a higher threshold. It takes longer.

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