Remember the Vision Pro? It feels like the Vision Pro is following the same script as every VR headset to come before it. After an exciting launch period with a sales surge and users
flocking to stores for demos, interest has died down.
Here’s what I’m hearing from Apple retail stores: Demand for demos is way down. People who do book appointments often don’t show up, and sales — at least at some locations — have gone from a couple of units a day to just a handful in a whole week. Apple also has had to step up the marketing on its online homepage. There’s a huge promo for the Vision Pro at the top of the website — the most aggressive pitch since the device
went on sale in early February.
A big question is whether current Vision Pro owners have stopped using the headset regularly — a problem that plagued previous virtual reality systems. Let me speak about my own experience. During the first couple of months that I owned my Vision Pro, I used it every day (sometimes several times a day). Now I’m down to maybe once or twice a week.
I had initially used the Vision Pro whenever I watched a movie or YouTube, or when I wanted a more immersive screen for my Mac at home. These days, with the initial buzz wearing off, it seems clear that the Vision Pro is too cumbersome to use on a daily basis. Going through the process of attaching the battery, booting it up and navigating the interface often doesn’t feel worth it. And a killer app hasn’t emerged that would compel me to pick it up. It’s far easier to just use my laptop as a laptop and watch video on either my computer or big-screen TV.
The Vision Pro also takes me out of the real world, making it awkward to use around family or co-workers. It’s something that’s best enjoyed when you’re by yourself — say, on a long flight or while working from home.
Apple has addressed several of the bugs that
initially plagued visionOS, the device’s operating system, but it hasn’t done much to improve the experience. The Vision Pro is still missing two Environments (the visual backdrops that show nature and other scenes), and many of Apple’s apps aren’t optimized for the platform. The app store on the device also remains mediocre at best.
On the plus side, Apple did
recently add Spatial Personas, which make it feel like you’re in the same virtual room as another Vision Pro user. But that works best if you know other Vision Pro users — and there just aren’t many to be found.