Apple reportedly cutting Vision Pro shipments, may spell bad news for the whole industry

Apple’s Vision Pro, its much-anticipated mixed-reality headset, isn’t proving to be as popular among users as expected. The company is significantly reducing its Vision Pro shipments and possibly postponing the launch of its next device, says respected analyst Ming Chi-Kuo.

According to his sources, Apple has reduced its 2024 Vision Pro shipments from 700–800k units to 400–450k units, while in 2025, the company is reportedly planning to ship fewer devices than this year.

Ming Chi-Kuo says that Apple decided to cut orders prior to launching the Vision Pro in non-US markets after observing that “demand in the US market has fallen sharply beyond expectations.”

The analyst also states that Apple is adjusting its head-mounted display product roadmap, meaning that there might not be a new model next year. The company had previously expected to release the device at the end of 2025.

These reports by the analyst were not the first indication of the diminishing demand for Vision Pro headsets. Last week, Bloomberg also stated that demand for demos of the headset in Apple shops is way down.

While it’s still early days, the waning popularity of these devices may impact the whole industry.

The Vision Pro was a highly anticipated device. Before its launch, many VR startups believed that it would become the catalyst for a rebound in industry funding, while some execs called it a watershed moment for the whole VR industry.

Since previous Apple products significantly improved sales in the phone, tablet, laptop, and smartwatch markets, this was to be expected.

However, even though Apple received a lot of positive feedback and reviews from journalists and early adopters, it now seems that the headset is meeting the same fate as other VR or mixed-reality headsets. After the initial launch hype wave passes, nothing much changes.

Some reasons behind the diminishing interest are thought to be its high price – the device costs $3500 – a lack of key applications, and headset comfort without sacrificing the see-through user experience.

In the longer term, the potential failure of Apple’s device to find a market share may mean less money coming to mixed-reality startups, which in turn may lead to less content and developers working on apps and devices.

There are also indications that the popularity of Vision Pro is decreasing among existing users. Earlier this month, one of Reddit’s communities revealed that Apple Vision Pro users are struggling to use the headset consistently.

An unstructured questionnaire revealed that 19 percent of users are only using the Vision Pro once a week, while 15 percent said that they’re using it once per fortnight or even less frequently.