As Apple Vision Pro launches in Europe, one industry tracker claims that Apple’s spatial headset will struggle to hit half a million sales this year, suggesting Apple has a more drastic plan for spatial computing.
According to the IDC, a marketing and research firm, and reported by Bloomberg, Apple Vision Pro is yet to sell 100,000 units. The headset originally launched exclusively in the U.S. in February and the international launch is expected to help sales somewhat. According to Bloomberg, “The unimpressive start has spurred a rethink among Apple’s management” and a budget version of the headset is said to be in the works for a launch next year. According to IDC, this budget headset is not the only hurdle Apple needs to cross for better sales.
A content problem
The vice president of IDC, Francisco Jeronimo said “The Vision Pro’s success, regardless of its price, will ultimately depend on the available content.” Continuing, he claims, “As Apple expands the product to international markets, it’s crucial that local content is also made available.”
This follows on from a problem that was spotted back in February. Many major App publishers, like Netflix and Spotify, refused to make their apps available on Apple Vision Pro, claiming that it doesn’t have a big enough install base to justify the extra effort to get an app working. As a workaround, users could open those apps on their best Macs and project them to the headset. However, this slow start has negatively affected the headset and, even now, some app creators are slow to adopt it. The launch of a more budget headset could help sales but users need a reason to stick around after the initial awe of seeing its rather impressive screen and processing power.
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