Apple Vision Pro sales slow to crawl in US, unlikely to hit 500,000 total units globally

Apple's Vision Pro may have flown too close to the sun; its Icarian wings are rapidly melting in the crucible of consumer ennui. 

The headset, which was launched amidst a plethora of marketing hype, has largely failed to land with broader consumers. Market research firm IDC stated that the Vision Pro has not yet sold 100,000 units in a single quarter in the United States since its February launch and is on track to sell less than 500,000 total units (i.e., in the U.S. and abroad) in 2024. As it stands, IDC estimates the Vision Pro will see a 75% decrease in sales in the US this quarter alone.

The main stumbling block to the Vision Pro's sales appears to be applicability in users' lives. While the headset gained attention at launch, returns and waning consumer interest have slowed sales in the US to a crawl.

The Vision Pro's recent international launch may inject some needed adrenaline into anemic sales, but that largely depends on developers creating applications and meaningful experiences for local markets. 

Francisco Jeronimo, a vice president at IDC, said:

The Vision Pro’s success, regardless of its price, will ultimately depend on the available content. As Apple expands the product to international markets, it’s crucial that local content is also made available.

IDC has also predicted Apple will release a budget-oriented variant of the Vision Pro (possibly the rumored Apple Vision SE) that will cut the cost by half. This would start the new headset at $1750, which is still significantly more expensive than Meta's Quest 3 VR headset (currently available at Amazon for $630).

While Apple promised the Vision Pro would revolutionize computing, the headset looks less like the iPhone and more like the Lisa.