Vision Pro is a Great Success!

[Ctrlos]

This is a counter to the other thread to set a few facts straight:

The Vision Pro is Apple’s first real attempt to create a product category rather than just define it. This is what I would call ‘Classic Sony’.

The Vision Pro retails for the same cost as a Mac Studio and as such is aimed at a similar customer base: industry, devs and early adopters.

Looking at the Mac Studio for a second, Apple sold 22m Macs last year, of which 90% were laptops. This means it sold 2.2m desktops. The Mac Studio makes up 1% of sales meaning it sold 220k last year worldwide.

The Vision Pro, a device in the same niche product category has sold 400k units in the space of 3 months after only being available in one territory.

So to summarise the ‘failed’ Vision Pro has done double the annual sales of its nearest comparatively priced Apple product in a quarter of the time.

These numbers are also very good for a device that has no real use case yet and is still finding its feet. It is still waiting for a software update to let you download mp3s onto it.

 

[Pakaku]

It's gen 1, US-only, at a very expensive price point. Apple's blunder was being too eager when they thought they would sell 800k devices, but 400k is still a pretty good number given the circumstances. It does lack apps, but that's how pretty much any gen 1 product launches.

The Vision Pro is Apple’s first real attempt to create a product category rather than just define it. This is what I would call ‘Classic Sony’.

Depends what you mean by product category? It's not the first headset at all, there's nothing new being created there, but it does have features that stand out like the hand-tracking

 

[Apple_Robert]

It is too early to state whether the VP is a success or failure.

 

[fatTribble]

I still love mine and use it daily. I continue to be impressed by what it can do. So for me it is a huge success. Personally I would only call something a failure if the quality was bad and it didn’t deliver as promised.

 

[pugxiwawa]

no it's not, lol. It failed way short of Apple' own expectation and that's why they needed to cut order in half. It's no where near success.

 

[illuminatedrealitystudios]

from what I understood there was a limit to the amount of displays they could be produced and that was never gonna be above 500,000 anyway so I don’t think this perceived shortfall has very much to do with interest and more to do with supply

 

[Roller]

Although I’m one of the biggest proponents of the AVP here, and am thoroughly enjoying mine, I wouldn’t characterize it as a great success at this point. But I’m also tired of the naysayers who endlessly post that the AVP has failed. Why they feel the need to do so is unclear to me. I try to avoid them for the most part, though I occasionally slip up.

Despite their certitude, I don’t think any of us can predict what will happen. Apple would prefer continued enthusiasm, as would I, but that doesn’t mean the AVP will be killed. I expect we’ll know more about the trajectory after WWDC.

And, no matter what the future holds, I don’t regret my purchase at all.

 

[illuminatedrealitystudios]

for all we know, a lot of these people could be plants from meta-….- or just chuckleheads on the Internet that have gone onto the next shiny thing to review for clicks so I’ll take it with a bucket of salt at this point and a lot of them are talking out of their asses

 

[HDFan]

The Mac Studio makes up 1% of sales meaning it sold 220k last year worldwide.

There have been a number of posts citing this number but they don't seem to be very reliable.

Apple's blunder was being too eager when they thought they would sell 800k devices,

The exact number they planned to sell is unknown. Without that information can't call it a blunder.

 

[avro707]

Although I’m one of the biggest proponents of the AVP here, and am thoroughly enjoying mine, I wouldn’t characterize it as a great success at this point. But I’m also tired of the naysayers who endlessly post that the AVP has failed. Why they feel the need to do so is unclear to me. I try to avoid them for the most part, though I occasionally slip up.

Despite their certitude, I don’t think any of us can predict what will happen. Apple would prefer continued enthusiasm, as would I, but that doesn’t mean the AVP will be killed. I expect we’ll know more about the trajectory after WWDC.

And, no matter what the future holds, I don’t regret my purchase at all.

It's no different to the naysayers of the Intel powered Mac Pros who relentlessly attack those machines and anyone who uses them. It's a forum and there are going to be naysayers.

I can't see the use for it, but that's my own preferences and it's not even available in my market. I'm happy with a pair of 5K screens - they work for my use case and are incredibly sharp.

 

[Delgibbons]

It's gen 1, US-only, at a very expensive price point. Apple's blunder was being too eager when they thought they would sell 800k devices, but 400k is still a pretty good number given the circumstances. It does lack apps, but that's how pretty much any gen 1 product launches.


Depends what you mean by product category? It's not the first headset at all, there's nothing new being created there, but it does have features that stand out like the hand-tracking

Quest has had hand tracking for years. The Vision Pro mechanical IPD adjustment thing is cool though, not having to do it manually.

 

[Ctrlos]

There have been a number of posts citing this number but they don't seem to be very reliable.

Not any less reliable than analysts' 800k sales target numbers.

 

[TracerAnalog]

People throw opinions around as facts. Apple has never stated they expect to sell 800K units, they never say how many units they shipped vs. sold, etc.

Apple knows the facts and will act accordingly. Let’s see how this evolves over the years😊.

I have three different VR headsets, and I like the tech (a lot), but in practice I put them on for an hour or two every month. I gaze, I play a game, marvel at the tech and then put it away for another month… apparently I don’t have any need for it. Same with AVP🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[cardfan]

Although I’m one of the biggest proponents of the AVP here, and am thoroughly enjoying mine, I wouldn’t characterize it as a great success at this point. But I’m also tired of the naysayers who endlessly post that the AVP has failed. Why they feel the need to do so is unclear to me. I try to avoid them for the most part, though I occasionally slip up.

Despite their certitude, I don’t think any of us can predict what will happen. Apple would prefer continued enthusiasm, as would I, but that doesn’t mean the AVP will be killed. I expect we’ll know more about the trajectory after WWDC.

And, no matter what the future holds, I don’t regret my purchase at all.

You shouldn’t regret it. It’s cool tech. We see this with anything that’s priced out of someone’s reach. If it fails now or later, then they don’t feel bad they can’t get it.

From using it for a few weeks and from what I hear is that in general people run out of things to do with avp after exhausting the movie watching. This is on apple.

I don’t know. Maybe bundle it with a magic kb and trackpad? I think if you want to push spatial computing then push it from the get go. The initial setup should walk through setting up kb and trackpad.

To be honest I never paired one up. I tried the Mac thing once or twice. Movies were a blast. But in general it wasn’t enough for me. I need to see more from Apple as many of the frustrations I had with it should’ve been addressed by Apple and all to do with software, apps, the store, discovery, etc.

 

[iMarkypad]

It is too early to state whether the VP is a success or failure.

People like to determine this by numbers; however, a few versions of it need to be released to get the full picture.

 

[jclardy]

Quest has had hand tracking for years. The Vision Pro mechanical IPD adjustment thing is cool though, not having to do it manually.

The auto-adjustment is cool, but ultimately uselsess because guest mode is so terrible. To show someone something on the quest I take it off, manually adjust the IPD (you just have to figure out the setting one time), adjust the strap and they are good to go.

For AVP I have to enable guest mode, pass it off within the next 5 minutes, adjust the strap, pass the battery off, they have to go through the eye tracking circles then they can see the thing I wanted to show them. Now if they have a question and I have to put the headset back on...repeat this process. It's incredible to me that guest profiles can't just be saved temporarily until the headset reboots...

 

[Delgibbons]

The auto-adjustment is cool, but ultimately uselsess because guest mode is so terrible. To show someone something on the quest I take it off, manually adjust the IPD (you just have to figure out the setting one time), adjust the strap and they are good to go.

For AVP I have to enable guest mode, pass it off within the next 5 minutes, adjust the strap, pass the battery off, they have to go through the eye tracking circles then they can see the thing I wanted to show them. Now if they have a question and I have to put the headset back on...repeat this process. It's incredible to me that guest profiles can't just be saved temporarily until the headset reboots...

Meh that’s a pain!

 

[Amazing Iceman]

The auto-adjustment is cool, but ultimately uselsess because guest mode is so terrible. To show someone something on the quest I take it off, manually adjust the IPD (you just have to figure out the setting one time), adjust the strap and they are good to go.

For AVP I have to enable guest mode, pass it off within the next 5 minutes, adjust the strap, pass the battery off, they have to go through the eye tracking circles then they can see the thing I wanted to show them. Now if they have a question and I have to put the headset back on...repeat this process. It's incredible to me that guest profiles can't just be saved temporarily until the headset reboots...

You can AirPlay what they see to a TV, iPad or iPhone. This way you can guide them without having to take it off.
This is similar to what the Apple Geniuses do when giving you a demo of the device.
But I agree with you: Apple should allow for some additional users/guests profiles, only to keep track of calibration settings. It shouldn't be that hard to do.

 

[Roller]

You can AirPlay what they see to a TV, iPad or iPhone. This way you can guide them without having to take it off.
This is similar to what the Apple Geniuses do when giving you a demo of the device.
But I agree with you: Apple should allow for some additional users/guests profiles, only to keep track of calibration settings. It shouldn't be that hard to do.

This is what I do when I'm demoing the AVP for others. Guest mode, which I've used a couple times, is too much of a pain as it is. Of course, this doesn't give the observer the same experience as putting the AVP on. I also agree there should be a way to create and save other profiles, even if they're time-limited. Apple isn't doing themselves a favor by not making it easier to let others try the AVP. I think they wanted people to go to a store for a "curated experience," but some folks don't have the time or inclination. But if they can get a better feel for the AVP from an owner, it might get them interested enough to do the full store demo, where they could also test different light seals and cushions.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Vision Pro is a miserable failure.

- Apple set out to make a great AR product and couldn't, so their CEO decided to ship the POC device that was being used to build the software...something no engineer inside Apple ever intended.

- Tim Cook has been running pricing experiments for years to see what people are willing to pay for and they have all succeeded brilliantly, beyond anyone's expectations. The iPhone XS, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 14 Pro, and more. Vision Pro was his ultimate gambit, and it failed miserably.

- Less than 500k units have been sold to date, and a large chunk of that includes the only people actually interested in it. Steady ongoing sales appear to be almost non-existent, which means this is a one off. Right now I highly doubt that a version 2 is going to happen.

- The only Apple hardware in 20 years that I can think of that is actually objectionable. Something no one anywhere actually wants to use. Rather, the few people tolerate it in order get that software experience. When you're using hardware in spite of it, not because of it, it's already a failure with no real future.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

People like to determine this by numbers; however, a few versions of it need to be released to get the full picture.

Except Apple doesn't make "a few versions" of failed products.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

It's gen 1, US-only, at a very expensive price point. Apple's blunder was being too eager when they thought they would sell 800k devices, but 400k is still a pretty good number given the circumstances. It does lack apps, but that's how pretty much any gen 1 product launches.

Excuse me but it does not lack apps. It has the entire iPad app store to pull from, (except the apps have deliberately opted out of being on vision pro...always a good sign). But you can run those apps from a $300 device already, you don't need a $3,500 device to run them too.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Outside of “It failed because we told you so” invested in failure of AVP. I have heard pretty good views on Vision Pro from the owners. It isn’t perfect just like any first gen product including original iPhone, iPad an AW. I highly doubt Apple is going to scrap it after AVP bringing in more than Billion dollars in revenue.

I am not the Gen 1 customer but, I would love to use spatial computing when I am traveling. Working on 16 MBP is a pain, I could use a stand alone device, that can enhance my work and entertainment. It’s like headphones for vision.

 

[surferfb]

I wish people would stop treating Kuo as gospel. He clearly has his own agenda.

In January, Kuo said Apple sold almost 200K US preorders, and Apple's maximum global shipment volume in 2024 was 500K units. That 500K number was reported in numerous publications to be the maximum number because Apple was constrained by Sony's OLED displays. Also, in February Kuo said Apple's target for 2024 was 150-200K units in the US. So where on earth is he getting the 700K-750K number? Surely he didn't think Apple was going to sell 200K in the US and 500K in the rest of the world?

 

[Roller]

Vision Pro is a miserable failure.

- Apple set out to make a great AR product and couldn't, so their CEO decided to ship the POC device that was being used to build the software...something no engineer inside Apple ever intended.

- Tim Cook has been running pricing experiments for years to see what people are willing to pay for and they have all succeeded brilliantly, beyond anyone's expectations. The iPhone XS, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 14 Pro, and more. Vision Pro was his ultimate gambit, and it failed miserably.

- Less than 500k units have been sold to date, and a large chunk of that includes the only people actually interested in it. Steady ongoing sales appear to be almost non-existent, which means this is a one off. Right now I highly doubt that a version 2 is going to happen.

- The only Apple hardware in 20 years that I can think of that is actually objectionable. Something no one anywhere actually wants to use. Rather, the few people tolerate it in order get that software experience. When you're using hardware in spite of it, not because of it, it's already a failure with no real future.

You lost me with your claim that you actually can tell what other people want.

I've only ignored perhaps one or two people since joining MacRumors more than 20 years ago. Congrats on being the third.