Apple was not wading into the mixed reality world with the Apple Vision Pro announcement; it was splashing. The new device is all futuristic, ready to combine the two worlds of digital and real within a high-end, sleek headset. The Vision Pro was Apple’s most bold step so far into the unknown combining virtual and augmented reality for the device that seemed to spring from a sci-fi film.
But now that months have passed since launching, the hype seems to be waning. The reports that have surfaced point out that Apple was curbing production for the Vision Pro. The curbing, at any rate, isn’t insignificant; the cutting is reported to have halved it. This question thus keeps surfacing in mind: are we looking at the demise of the bolder project to ever emanate from Apple’s stable?
Apple Vision Pro: A Dazzling Debut, A Murky Future?
It seems immediately after its launch, the Vision Pro is still pretty far from any other gadget being made. It costs roughly $3,499. That makes it not for the average folk but more for early adopters tech enthusiasts or deep-pocketed folks.
Reaction, of course, was more or less awe. The apprehension was partly there too because people worried that masses were going to look at it, with all these advanced sensors and this mind-blowing 3D interface, and of course, the over-the-edge price point for this ultra-niche device.
According to reports, Apple has asked its suppliers to cut down the production volume to as low as 1,000 units per day. Were the cynics right? Would this be the signal from this Apple move as to what further fate awaited the Vision Pro or was this just simply a product that came much too soon?
Reality check for Apple’s Vision Pro.
Why is Apple slowing the production of its Vision Pro? For a few reasons, not all of which are especially surprising in the light of recent tech trends if you have followed them at all.
High-Technology, Low Appeal: It’s a technological wizard that is very high and expensive to manufacture in itself. Technology itself in Vision Pro calls for precision engineering in building that gadget. Even with an experienced company like Apple, it didn’t walk; hence this complexity might slowly make production and cut some of the output.
Demand: Despite all the media frenzy, the demand might not be as high as Apple would have liked to expect. Interest by the tech community in the early days is far removed from turning that interest into long-term, continuous demand. Apple may have realized they have overestimated the number of people ready to pay thousands of dollars for a product that remains, for many, a novelty.
Technical Issues: The Vision Pro is very full of high technology and not easily produced in quantities. Stories abound concerning supply chain and production challenges, and probably this is one of the reasons the company had to cut down its order. The company is not in a bubble since other tech firms are also experiencing a problem when they try to produce mixed reality headsets on a mass scale since this technology is very new.
The Price Problem: Let’s face it: $3,499 is a lot of money. Sure, early adopters and tech enthusiasts may have quickly queued up to pre-order the thing, but most average consumers will probably find the amount too steep for such a mixed-reality headset. That could be one of the biggest reasons why Apple is rethinking its production strategy. Maybe they finally learned that the price of Vision Pro just is too steep for such a product to become the mass market at least under its current configuration.
Focus Shift: There is always a case of Apple pushing extremely into the technology factor, and the Vision Pro was one of them. However, this seems already to be moving the ship toward some other, cost-effective items within the realm of mixed reality. There have been some speculations as to how the company was working on an affordable edition of the Vision Pro, probably the reason behind the scaled-down production for the higher-end variant.
Future of Vision Pro by Apple: What’s in the Future?
The scaled-down productions make it impossible to predict the future of Vision Pro by Apple. Possibilities as of now are provided below, which will open up accordingly:
Stop Production
Perhaps, it’s not a full halt to the production but an on-hold status instead. Apple is going to review the market and correct all those technical faults before re-launching full-scale productions.
Price Cuts
For example, Apple may make Vision Pro less expensive just to tempt more consumers in its hands. This in turn would further increase the demand and cause harm to overall profit margins since the company’s production cost is more or less relatively high.
While that puts the Vision Pro as we know it in danger, it doesn’t mean Apple has abandoned mixed reality. Probably, instead, they are using what they have already learned from Vision Pro and are developing a second-generation model, which might be an advanced headset or a more affordable one for the mass market.
At worst, the company may decide to withdraw it from the market in case it does not gain in sales. Although this is a bit less likely in the short term due to the significant investment made by the company, this is still a possibility if sales do not improve.
Broader implications for the tech world
It’s a product story, but more than just a product tale: it may be an indicator of greater trends in the tech industry. Mixed reality is still relatively new, but despite all the hype, it hasn’t quite yet become mainstream.
Other tech giants also are investing heavily in mixed reality, just like Meta does; however, they, too, face huge issues. The technology is fascinating; however, costly to manufacture; there is no guarantee of consumer adoption; and the product is put into a commercially viable version. This is the problem with Apple that is a harbinger of doom for the entire industry because making something cutting-edge into a commercially viable version is quite difficult.
Wrapping It All
Apple always touted its Vision Pro as the next big thing in mixed reality. Today, nothing is less sure about its future. The production has been put on hold, and no clear way forward is in view. It raises the question of fading Apple’s boldest vision.
Whether Apple will indeed stop making it, cut the price, or bring its second-gen model, we can now say this much surely won’t be easy further for the Vision Pro. As the world of mixed reality keeps on taking form, we would keep a closer eye on whether the wild dream of sci-fi from the Apple world might become that reality that would stay on.