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Vision Pro Future Uncertain as All Headset Development Is Seemingly Paused
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Eh, except Apple Maps really isn’t a disaster now. What you mean by “disaster” is that development was just slower than you would have liked.
Actually, it sold even more than what I remembered : not only did they beat Xboxes and Playstation, but also Nintendo switches !
"While Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch are still doing well, they were all beat on Amazon in 2024, with the Meta Quest 3S taking the crown for the best-selling console for the year on the website. It's an impressive achievement for the virtual reality headset, especially since the Meta Quest 3S only launched in October."
Surprising Game System Beat PlayStation and Nintendo Switch on Amazon in 2024
A surprising game system beats the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles on Amazon's bestsellers of 2024.gamerant.com
That's just Amazon and not really the full picture. The total Quest 3(+S) global sales for the whole Q4 quarter was estimated around 1.6m units. That only breaks even with Playstation 5 US sales in December 2024 alone (1.6m). Globally consoles sold around 7m units last December, and about 3.3m in the US. It's a popular gift, sure, but the idea it's outselling all consoles combined is just silly.
Sources:
- https://arinsider.co/2025/01/30/how-many-xr-devices-did-meta-sell-in-q4/
- https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463776/global-hardware-december-2024/
Yes and no kids are still aging in to them everyday. Consoles at 5 years break down. 3 people have bought the PS pro.
Apple had gone mad when they thought they would sell more than 10 at $3500 of a device that was heavier, uglier and more unpractical than devices that cost 5 times less from the competitors. It was doomed from the start, as most people said. But many apple fanatics thought otherwise. Well guess what, they were wrong.
It would still be a flop. It's heavier than the competitors, has a ridiculous external battery, uncomfortable straps and smaller field of vision. It is a failure from all points of view, it deserved to be ignored by the public.
Cut losses and get rid of it - I said years ago Apple would never release a big bulky AR headset (especially one with a battery pack??!), they look ridiculous, are heavy and no one (except gamers) want to wear these things. Apple will wait, as they often do, until the technology allows them to create something much better (Lighter weight AR glasses, or even contact lenses). I was wrong with my prediction — and they were wrong launching this product. Can the tech be salvaged/repurposed? …. Im not so sure people even want glasses. Apple, move on, and find a new product category to develop.
Maybe I'm in the minority, at least here on the forum. I just don't want to wear a computer on my nose for extended periods of time. There is a place for VR/AR in some applications of course. I just don't see it taking off as a mass market product.
Too small a market all creating too many walled gardens. Apple just released the Vision Pro and waited for the market to rally to it. Meta bought every game studio they could, to create exclusives. WMR died because Microsoft are directionless.
Arguably SteamVR is the best, most open platform but even that is still clumsy to set up and hasn’t evolved in years. I tried showing HL:Alyx to a friend the other day but they wanted a seated experience and just walking them through the setup was a nightmare!
Maybe Apple is just going to wait it out for component prices to drop so they can make their 50% profit margin on a device the same price as a 27” Studio Display.
Also I’m waiting to see if Deckard can reinvigorate VR adoption for the 12th time.
Arguably SteamVR is the best, most open platform but even that is still clumsy to set up and hasn’t evolved in years. I tried showing HL:Alyx to a friend the other day but they wanted a seated experience and just walking them through the setup was a nightmare!
Maybe Apple is just going to wait it out for component prices to drop so they can make their 50% profit margin on a device the same price as a 27” Studio Display.
Also I’m waiting to see if Deckard can reinvigorate VR adoption for the 12th time.
It’s not because history tells us that individuals don’t like putting things on their face unless it’s medically needed that’s why these things come out & then disappear & then the cycle keeps repeating
Who'd a thought that a product costing 3,500 dollars, a product in search of a problem to solve, gave people headaches and was uncomfortable failed to gain traction - color me shocked 
It always seemed like just a device that was a preview of future tech. The glasses are more endgame.
Kinda like early computers were gigantic.
Kinda like early computers were gigantic.
Actually, it sold even more than what I remembered : not only did they beat Xboxes and Playstation, but also Nintendo switches !
"While Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch are still doing well, they were all beat on Amazon in 2024, with the Meta Quest 3S taking the crown for the best-selling console for the year on the website. It's an impressive achievement for the virtual reality headset, especially since the Meta Quest 3S only launched in October."
Surprising Game System Beat PlayStation and Nintendo Switch on Amazon in 2024
A surprising game system beats the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles on Amazon's bestsellers of 2024.
Unless I’m misreading that just says that on Amazon it sold better than other consoles not consoles combined and not even variants combined.
Both serve different purposes. Vision Pro needs to play to its strengths where technology is right now. In a sense it's an idea that's waiting for lightweight, more affordable, high-quality components with good processing power and battery life to catch up. It's like the first MBA: underpowered and with short battery life. Cool concept before its time.
It wasn't that the original MBA was a bad idea—it was a decent idea ahead of its time. What made MBA good were some design changes like getting rid of that silly port-hatch, and component technology catching up. MBA was made worse by gimping the port selection—showing a good product can easily be worsened by poor decisions. Vision Pro suffers similarly: decent idea, some poor choices that can be fixed now, with delays as component technology catches up.
The current iteration of Vision Pro rather than trying to be a Mac for the face should aim to be an iPad for the face—lower its power, weight and price (and drop the "Pro"?). As for the glasses product? I don't like wearing glasses. Vision Pro isn't a pair of glasses, it's an nascent immersive computer. Glasses are more like notifications plus Siri (one that works). In many ways Apple Watch is a better idea than glasses.
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I dont get it. Before the Vision Pro came out, the rumours were that Apple would jump straight to AR glasses while their competitors spent time on VR.
Between AI and now this, I get that Apple is never first, but this is different. How is Apple always caught focusing on the wrong thing?
Between AI and now this, I get that Apple is never first, but this is different. How is Apple always caught focusing on the wrong thing?
The problem is, that future tech preview was already available by others for significantly less. facebook's VR headset is a lot cheaper, a lot more popular.
Lack of vision, increased competition. I mean with the failure of google glass in 2013, it seemed that sort of functionality is dead, but come 2024/2025 its back to being the focus. I can see apple skipping these, but some visionary type people kept working on the technology.
Apple spent billions on their automotive initiative, how many hundreds of millions were spent on the AVP headset? Did apple really think that this would be successful at 3,500?
Regardless, if this rumor is true or not, the fact remains that with discretionary income shrinking faster then my attention span during a zoom meeting, its near impossible for this to be a commercial success. Even if apple cut the price by 50%, it would be hard pressed to lure the general public or businesses to use these.
When I first read this rumor, I was like “Dramatically cheaper? Nahhhh. That’s the kind of thing someone that doesn’t follow Apple would write. That, OR someone who gets paid by how many folks link to their page.”
Glasses seem like the only sensible approach for an Apple wearable really. Price however will be an issue.
Who ever thought strapping a freaky looking display to the outside of VR googles would suddenly make them palatable? I mean they are fine - as a display you can attach to a computer - any computer, really. And then run your content on it, without restrictions.
But totally not in line with mass market compatible stuff like iPod, iPhone, etc.
Who ever thought strapping a freaky looking display to the outside of VR googles would suddenly make them palatable? I mean they are fine - as a display you can attach to a computer - any computer, really. And then run your content on it, without restrictions.
But totally not in line with mass market compatible stuff like iPod, iPhone, etc.
Make it $1799 and they sell through all inventory quickly and wait for more screens from Sony (same for $999). I haven’t read if Sony has resolved their production issues OR if Apple are sourcing panels from elsewhere, but that has been and still is the limitation on how many are for sale.
Apple should focus. Just three models of each: phone, laptop, desktop, watch. Only good-better-best models. Just hardware + superb api's for developers to maker the most out of their hardware. Ged rid of script kiddies. Professional AppStore only, at cost price for the developers that make your products thrive.
Professional quality that jsut works. Privacy first. No compromises. No fences for professional developers.
Stop the tricks to squeeze the last penny out of everything, annoying people.
Tim: please give the company back to the nerds that care for quality, driven by proper design.
Why do successful companies ultimately get blinded?
Professional quality that jsut works. Privacy first. No compromises. No fences for professional developers.
Stop the tricks to squeeze the last penny out of everything, annoying people.
Tim: please give the company back to the nerds that care for quality, driven by proper design.
Why do successful companies ultimately get blinded?
The problem is that you're not in the minority but majority and that's the misstep by apple - they misread their customer base's willingness to spend absurd amounts of money on a product that barely did anything useful - other then watch movies.
That's not Tim's Apple and won't be, unfortunately.
To me iPhone should come in just two models: a slightly thinner than iPhone 17 named "iPhone" and a thicker than iPhone 17 Pro named "iPhone Ultra". Only Ultra would have camera control (without touch functionality) renamed QuickSnap aimed at quickly taking photos and videos from within any app—the user could choose for a single press to open the camera app (before pressing again to take a photo) or have that single press both open the camera app and snap an initial photo, a half-press would show the user a peek through the lens (QuickView) where letting go exits this view. Both models would come in three sizes: 5.6", 6.2", 6.8" without numbering or sub-naming. Simple, clean lineup of iPhones that would please most people.
The foldable phone would follow a similar naming convention: Apple Fold (medium size), Apple Fold Ultra (big and powerful).
In a similar vein the iPad Air should not exist—divide and conquer.
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