Tim Cook acknowledges: Apple’s latest flagship product isn’t for you. Production has ended.
When Apple launched the Vision Pro, its virtual reality (VR) headset, it was hailed as a groundbreaking innovation. With cutting-edge features and Apple’s signature design polish, it quickly became a buzzworthy product. However, less than a year after its initial release in the United States and its subsequent arrival in Europe, Apple has decided to end production.
The Vision Pro’s debut was met with impressive early sales—nearly 200,000 units sold within weeks. But momentum slowed as the initial excitement wore off, and reality set in: at a price tag starting at $3,999 in France (or $3,500 in the U.S.), the headset was far out of reach for the average consumer. In a candid statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the Vision Pro was not designed to be a mass-market product.
A Pricing Problem Too Big to Ignore
While the Vision Pro delivered a top-tier VR experience, its cost created a significant barrier. As a friend of mine quipped, “Why would I spend more than two months of rent on a VR headset?” That sentiment seemed to resonate widely, especially in markets where disposable income is tight. The steep price also positioned it awkwardly against competitors like Meta’s Quest line, which offers robust VR features at a fraction of the cost.
Apple found itself sitting on a stockpile of unsold units—between 500,000 and 600,000, according to reports. With dwindling demand and no signs of an uptick, the decision to halt production became inevitable. This isn’t necessarily an indictment of the product itself, which many reviewers praised for its advanced capabilities, but a reflection of a mismatch between pricing and audience.
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