At last year's WWDC conference, Apple unveiled the mystery of its first "spatial computing device" - Vision Pro to the world, which attracted wide attention in the industry. Although since its release, opinions on this innovative product have been mixed, with some expecting it and others being skeptical. But in any case, the pre-sale phase of the Vision Pro has achieved impressive results, with more than 200,000 units sold and nearly $700 million in revenue, proving its strong market appeal.
However, the heat of the Vision Pro seems to have cooled down over time. Whether in the domestic or American markets, the craze for online discussions about this device has gradually subsided, and even seems a little silent.
Vision Pro销量暴跌
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman pointed out that Vision Pro seems to be following in the footsteps of VR devices, with the initial scenery gone, weak sales, waning user enthusiasm, and a sharp decline in the number of physical store appointments. Even when there is an appointment, it is not uncommon for people to show up. In some places, sales have plummeted from a few units a day to very few weekly sales. To do this, Apple has had to increase its marketing efforts for the Vision Pro on its online homepage.
Gurman shared his experience with the Vision Pro, admitting that he hardly uses the device for work and media consumption. Compared to a laptop or tablet, the Vision Pro is cumbersome and inconvenient in terms of battery connection, device start-up, and user interface. This shortcoming of user experience is undoubtedly one of the important factors affecting market acceptance.
In addition, the Vision Pro's isolation from the real world also makes it stand out among families or people who work with them. While this immersive experience has unique advantages in some situations, more often than not, it is more suitable for personal use when they are alone, such as on a long-haul flight or working from home. The limitations of this use case also limit its market potential.
In addition to the shortcomings in user experience, Vision Pro also has shortcomings in terms of software ecology and content resources. Gurman pointed out that although Apple has addressed some of the vulnerabilities in the visionOS operating system, it still falls short in terms of improving the user experience. The Vision Pro still lacks certain environmental settings, such as natural landscapes with virtual backgrounds, and many of Apple's own apps are not optimized for the platform, and the content of the app store on the device is lackluster. These problems affect the user's overall evaluation and user experience of the product.
VR headsets can't escape the fate of "eating ashes"?
In fact, not only Apple, but also headsets on the market always set off a wave of discussion when they are released. Taking station B as an example, if you often pay attention to the UP owners in the life or game area, it is not difficult to find that whenever PICO, a VR subsidiary of ByteDance, launches a new product, many UP owners will compete to make relevant videos, and the popularity of online discussions has risen for a while.
However, this heat tends to be short-lived, and after a while, the discussion about these devices fades into silence. Although netizens find these videos novel and interesting when watching, there are very few people who are actually willing to pay for them, let alone products like the Vision Pro, which cost as much as 25,000 yuan. Analysts generally point out that the high price makes the Vision Pro a luxury item for a few people, making it difficult to enter the mainstream market.
In addition, the visionOS system is still in its early stages, and third-party applications are not yet abundant, which also limits the function expansion and application scenarios of Vision Pro. Analysts are even more inclined to use laptops for content consumption, reflecting the fact that the current market acceptance of headsets is still limited. This situation is difficult to change in the short term, and it is undoubtedly a big concern for users who want to buy Vision Pro.
It is widely expected that the hype around the Vision Pro will gradually subside until Apple launches a cheaper version. Kuo and many others have made such predictions.
Can Apple's headset continue to be successful?
Despite the challenges and dilemmas, there are still some optimists who believe that the future of the Vision Pro is still promising. After all, Apple has a large active user base and a strong brand presence, and it is possible to break the market deadlock if it can solve current problems and continuously improve the user experience.
In addition, the Vision Pro has not yet been released globally, and sales and volume will not be fully released until it lands in other markets around the world, especially in China. As one of the world's largest consumer markets, China is a huge attraction for Apple.
At the 2024 Annual Meeting of the China Development Forum on March 24, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that its product, Vision Pro, will be available in the Chinese market this year. It is understood that Apple began the product approval process for Vision Pro in the domestic market last year, and adjusted the content to comply with domestic specifications.
However, Apple still needs to face many challenges to succeed in the Chinese market. First of all, the domestic XR equipment market has shown a downward trend. According to data from Lotu Technology, as of the third quarter of last year, the omni-channel sales of domestic XR equipment were 126,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 36.7%, and the decline in market size mainly came from the VR product market. VR online sales were 29,000 units, down 49.8% year-on-year, and sales were 100 million yuan, down 48.1% year-on-year.
Secondly, Apple also needs to adapt to the culture and consumption habits of the domestic market. While Apple has a wide range of users and brand influence around the world, there are still differences in consumer needs and preferences in different countries and regions.
Write at the end
It is reported that Apple is actively working on the second generation of the Vision Pro, which is expected to bring significant performance improvements and a more affordable price, which is expected to promote the mainstream of VR headsets. Of course, all this will take time to verify.