Source: Finance Federation Author: Ma Lan
① Apple's VR headset Vision Pro was hyped up at the beginning of its launch, but after watching it two months later, sales almost stagnated; ② One of the fatal problems with Apple's headset was the scarcity of supporting apps, which left it behind Meta's Quest 2 headsets; ③ the cheaper and easier to use Meta headsets are still further expanding their advantages and introducing external application developers, making it more difficult for Apple.
Two months ago, Apple confidently stated that Vision Pro would change the way people live; after two months, Apple was only able to accept reality, suffering from countless returns and new headsets that hardly sell.
When Vision Pro was first launched, the $3,500 device sold out immediately. A large number of people participated in the demonstration experience at offline stores, which shaped the product's huge commercial potential. However, looking back again this week, people find that Vision Pro has come to a standstill.
According to reports, some Apple stores in the US only sold a small number of headsets in a week. The single-digit sales volume is in stark contrast to the 180,000 units sold during the January pre-order weekend. Furthermore, people are no longer visiting stores to experience Vision Pro, and it is alleged that some consumers who originally made an appointment to test Vision Pro did not do so.
What is even more distressing to Apple is that many “fruit powders” that have already purchased Vision Pro also frequently complain online. Many consumers on the Tieba Reddit forum in the US claim that Vision Pro is so impractical in everyday life that they can't wear this headset in public.
Others point out that using Vision Pro causes headaches, dark circles, and broken capillaries. Some users also said that Vision Pro doesn't have a matching app at all, making the technology seem like an island.
It is widely expected that the Vision Pro hype will gradually subside, and the headset will become a niche product within a few years until Apple launches a cheaper version. Well-known analyst Guo Mingyu and many others have made such predictions.
This also highlights how difficult it is to commercialize VR headsets. Whether it's the expensive Apple Vision Pro or the more affordable Meta Quest headsets, sales of VR devices are unsatisfactory. The key reason for this dilemma is the imperfect application ecosystem.
VR headset battlefield
Despite this, Apple plans to expand Vision Pro production to 800,000 units by the end of this year, and its initial target of selling 200,000 units has already been completed. This production ambition means that Apple is optimistic about demand for headsets this year and is committed to catching up with the performance of the Meta Quest 2 headphone.
The Meta Quest 2 is Meta's most popular headset. Since its launch in 2020, it is estimated that 20 million units have been sold. Of course, it's been on the market far longer than the Vision Pro, but even if you only compare sales in the first few months, the Quest 2 is still far ahead.
What's even more fatal for Apple is that although Vision Pro can access some apps in the Apple Store, most of them just run and cannot provide an immersive experience. According to some user comments, sometimes it's like playing with an iPad with a different headset. As of the beginning of this year, there were only over 1,000 apps dedicated to Vision Pro.
Quest 2 is a small win in this regard. Although there are less than 1,000 apps in its app library for headphone players to experience, its operation and optimization are clearly superior to Vision Pro. Additionally, Meta recently announced that it will open the Quest headset operating system to its competitors, making it easier for developers to build apps.
This open source move will undoubtedly further magnify Apple's disadvantages, and may also force Apple to open up its headphone system. After all, Apple developers will never be able to make games and all kinds of applications on their own.
edit/lambor