Apple has Reportedly Reduced Vision Pro Production Sharply
There were rumors back in April that Apple cut production of their Vision Pro headset and UploadVR reported that this wasn't the case. Six months later and a new report is persistent that Apple has "sharply" reduce production of its Vision Pro mixed reality headset since the summer and may stop making the existing version before the end of the year, The Information reports.
Seeking Alpha noted in their report that "The move could mean that Apple has enough inventory of its existing product to meet demand, and it could be Apple is focusing on building a second version of the product that is cheaper and slated to be released sometime next year, the news outlet added, citing multiple people involved in building components for the Vision Pro.
In July, it was reported that sales of the device were unlikely to top 500,000 this year, due in part to the high price, and lack of apps available for it.
Apple introduced the $3,500 Vision Pro in June 2023 at its developers conference, its biggest product launch in a decade.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook recently opined on the Vision Pro in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and said while he'd like to sell more units, he believes it will get better over time. “Over time, everything gets better, and it too will have its course of getting better and better,” Cook told the news outlet. “I think it’s just arguably a success today from an ecosystem-being-built-out point of view.” Seeking Alpha. This must be music to Mark Zuckerberg's ears.
Apple's CEO also stated in the WSJ report that "At $3,500, it’s not a mass-market product, 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 hindsight that's what Cook thinks, but it's likely not what Apple was originally hoping for. If Apple truly produced products for "early adopters," then they would have released an Apple Vehicle - and didn't.