Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

[MacRumors]

The Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen this summer interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the Vision Pro, innovation, Apple Intelligence, and more.

Cook admitted that the Vision Pro headset is not a mass-market product due to its high price.

"At $3,500, it's not a mass-market product," said Cook. "Right now, it's an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrow's technology today—that's who it's for. Fortunately, there's enough people who are in that camp that it's exciting."

In July, research firm IDC estimated that Vision Pro sales would be under 500,000 units this year.

Cohen said Apple's approach to innovation can be described in four words: "Not first, but best."

"We're perfectly fine with not being first," said Cook. "As it turns out, it takes a while to get it really great. It takes a lot of iteration. It takes worrying about every detail. Sometimes, it takes a little longer to do that. We would rather come out with that kind of product and that kind of contribution to people versus running to get something out first. If we can do both, that's fantastic. But if we can only do one, there's no doubt around here. If you talk to 100 people, 100 of them would tell you: It's about being the best."

Cook said Apple Intelligence makes the experience of using Apple products "profoundly different."

"I think we'll look back and it will be one of these air pockets that happened to get you on a different technology curve," said Cook.

The wide-ranging interview touches on many other topics, including Cook's daily routine, lessons he learned from Steve Jobs, and more.

Bloomberg today also published a story about Cook's role on Nike's board of directors, which he joined in 2005. The report states that Cook supported the appointment of Elliott Hill as Nike's new CEO this month, after the shoe maker experienced declining sales and profit this year. Cook is often spotted wearing Nike shoes, and Apple has partnered with Nike on several products and accessories over the past few decades.

Article Link: Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

 

[vertsix]

We all knew it wasn't a mass market product. But glad he is acknowledging it.

I am a Vision Pro owner, and I've been decreasingly "excited" about the product line as a whole. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's an amazing device with top of the line technology, but on the other the App Store and content situation has not improved and has gotten worse in some ways. A lot of apps have been abandoned, a lot of critical ones are still missing, and many barely get updates. It's incredibly nice for occassional media consumption (such as immersive video) - of which Apple TV+ still lacks a lot of!

Ultimately, the success of Vision Pro is heavily dependent on the App Store and content. Price as well, but I'd argue it's less so. Content was the inflection point with the iPhone and the iPad. I hoped to see some of that progress, but I am disappointed to not have seen it. And Apple's hostile relationship with developers in recent years is of no help.

 

[MacLoveMacHate]

From what I know it's great hardware, Apple just doesn't have the content or justification to support the need to buy it. I always assumed Sony would crack the VR space with gaming, but not yet.

 

[Bodhitree]

What would make the Vision really great was if it actually was a pair of glasses. Unfortunately that product is a decade or more away.

 

[BarrettF77]

This is really no shocker. He pushed so hard to get it out when the engineers all said to wait. Now I have some of them and they just sit. Not because the hardware isn't good, but the software is just still in development. Also the battery life is bad, it being a piece that can pull on the headset is also not good.

It can't run desktop stuff or even iPad apps in whole so there are so many things missing from it.

Widescreen support keeps getting pushed and there is also no AI with this device.

App Store is just beyond disappointing and having it pair with a Mac is really its best shot at success but that is so low res currently.

In short, this is the result of a CEO who is not a products guy and has a crew full of people within Apple telling him to wait but because profit reigns supreme, he pulled the trigger and this is the outcome. Damage control and customers like myself who are regretting buying into it. Hopefully they change this and fast. And if they upgrade this to a new processor in the short term it's going to really burn a few bridges here as the first product has really not stretched its legs whatsoever.

 

[sdf]

“Admits” truth? What, this was some kind of secret?

 

[madmin]

Apple Vision Air (pocket) 👃

 

[CasinoOwl]

"Admits" is such a loaded click-bait word to use. Maybe unintentional, but I like Mac Rumors because it's not as cheap and dramatic as the other sites. Was Tim hiding this info, or did we all know it was the case?

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Ultimately, the success of Vision Pro is heavily dependent on the App Store. It was the thing with the iPhone, and the iPad. And Apple's hostile relationship with developers is of no help.

A platform is only as good as the software that runs on it. This was true for the Mac, the iPhone, the iPad, now AVP. The only thing that's changed is Apple's attitude towards this fact.

 

[votdfak]

You don't say? LOL

Waiting for diehards to prove Tim and us wrong.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Yeah a lot of the diehards seem to have had this reversal as well.

 

[peripatetic]

As someone who has been using Apple Intelligence in 18.1 betas for some time now, I find it laughable that Tim Cook can say with a straight face that he uses Apple Intelligence's email summary feature to quickly get through his email in the mornings. The summary feature, both in the email and in messages, routinely fails to understand the tone of messages, the intent of what was said and by whom, and what is being asked or said in the email or message. There is no way on Earth that Tim Cook, the CEO of one of the most powerful and important companies in the world, is leaving it to Apple Intelligence to help him get through emails without him reading the full emails. If he his doing that, he should be stopped.

 

[TechWhisperer]

Not first, but best aka, “We’re late, expensive, but don’t worry, we’ll tell you it’s revolutionary.”

 

[PsykX]

½ million sales this year, for a 1st-gen version of a product with such a high price tag, launched in the US for 11 months in 2024 and in 9 other countries for 6 months in 2024?
Lackluster sales?
It's $1.75 billion sales. I call it a freaking home-run.

I would never buy such a highly priced 1st-gen product myself. I would have expected way less sales than that.

 

[citysnaps]

Admits Truth? Like it was a well-kept secret?

Of course not. That's silly.

 

[spaxxedout]

The word admit, per Oxford:

“confess to be true or to be the case, typically with reluctance.”

There’s nothing being admitted here. Just another example of MR playing to the popularity of Vision Pro dissent for the sake of clicks / engagement.

 

[No5tromo]

When big developers are abandoning support for the Apple Watch—a well-established product with way lower development requirements—I question how they expected enthusiasm for developing for Vision Pro. Apple needs to reconsider its entire strategy.

 

[TigerNike23]

I think the AVP is a ridiculous product, but to say Tim Cook “admits truth” is a frankly wrong headline.

Only the true Kool-Aid drinkers would’ve thought this was a mass market device… with its ski-goggle form, attached wired battery pack, 2.5 hour battery life, to name a few things.

 

[AeroEd]

½ million sales this year, for a 1st-gen version of a product with such a high price tag, launched in the US for 11 months in 2024 and in some other countries for 6 months in 2024?
Lackluster sales?
It's $1.75 billion. I call it a freaking home-run.

I would never buy such a highly priced 1st-gen product myself. I would have expected way less sales than that.

now let's see r&d costs. This product is a mess, and a lot of us knew as soon as the crowd groaned when the price was revealed

 

[Iconoclysm]

From what I know it's great hardware, Apple just doesn't have the content or justification to support the need to buy it. I always assumed Sony would crack the VR space with gaming, but not yet.

Sony isn't cracking anything with their track record. They've got a huge userbase with the PlayStation brand but everything outside of the core console has practically failed...and PSVR2 is one of the worst.

 

[vertsix]

Also I want to add, Apple under Jobs cut the price of the original iPhone in less than a year to boost sales (and cut losses presumably to boost adoption).

Apple has not done this with Vision Pro.

Here's the open letter from Steve Jobs to customers on the logic on reducing iPhone's price:

Apple - To all iPhone customers

Since Web Archive takes a trillion years to load sometimes, I have attached it here as a picture too.

 

[webkit]

Admits? Were that many calling Vision Pro a "mass market" product at this point?

The original Macintosh wasn't a mass market product either. It was over three years before Apple sold its 1 millionth Macintosh computer (making average annual sales during that time less than 333,000).

However, over time as the market grows/expands and prices come down the Vision product line will likely become more of a mass market product.

 

[spaxxedout]

This is really no shocker. He pushed so hard to get it out when the engineers all said to wait. Now I have some of them and they just sit. Not because the hardware isn't good, but the software is just still in development. Also the battery life is bad, it being a piece that can pull on the headset is also not good.

It can't run desktop stuff or even iPad apps in whole so there are so many things missing from it.

Widescreen support keeps getting pushed and there is also no AI with this device.

App Store is just beyond disappointing and having it pair with a Mac is really its best shot at success but that is so low res currently.

In short, this is the result of a CEO who is not a products guy and has a crew full of people within Apple telling him to wait but because profit reigns supreme, he pulled the trigger and this is the outcome. Damage control and customers like myself who are regretting buying into it. Hopefully they change this and fast. And if they upgrade this to a new processor in the short term it's going to really burn a few bridges here as the first product has really not stretched its legs whatsoever.

I’d add that their early entry to the market is more of a result of competitors 86’ing their plans to launch. Plus, it’s very evident that the pandemic played a big role in release timing and feature set.

I personally think battery life is a relative non-issue since it’s a home device and is used in places where plugs are accessible. The external battery makes using while charging much, much easier than with a Quest, and the replicability of the battery goes a long way in prolonging the life of this device, which makes sense, considering the price. Other than that, agree with your points. App Store sucks, but can’t blame developers not jumping in because it’s just not a goldmine.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Not first, but best aka, “We’re late, expensive, but don’t worry, we’ll tell you it’s revolutionary.”

I think there's enough of a track record to disprove what you're saying.

 

[epox999]

From what I know it's great hardware, Apple just doesn't have the content or justification to support the need to buy it. I always assumed Sony would crack the VR space with gaming, but not yet.

Have you tried the Sony PSVR2 ? it's phenomenal