Sales of the Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset were lower than expected, and developers are in no hurry to create applications for the device. A vicious circle has emerged: users do not buy the headset due to the small number of applications, and developers do not create applications due to low sales.
Image source (video screenshot): wsj.com
New applications for Vision Pro are released less and less often, starting from the moment the device was launched. According to The Wall Street Journal, in September, only 10 new applications were added to the Vision App Store, which is significantly less than in the first months after the launch. According to analytics company Appfigures, there are currently about 1,770 apps in the store, but only 34% of them were developed specifically for this headset. The rest are customized versions of existing Apple products with added functionality for Vision Pro.
According to Bertrand Nepveu, a former Apple employee and investor in Triptyq Capital, “It’s a classic chicken and egg problem.” He and other developers believe Apple should fund app creators to encourage them to adapt existing apps from other headsets or develop new ones. By the way, this practice is already used by other manufacturers. For example, Meta✴ actively supports developers and even buys some companies. Interestingly, Meta✴, which is Apple’s main competitor in the headset market, already holds 74% of the market in the second quarter of this year. And in September, it introduced a new headset, Quest 3S, which could attract even more users due to a more affordable price of $300.
Image source (video screenshot): wsj.com
Apple doesn’t disclose sales figures for the Vision Pro, but analysts say they were lower than expected. The company cut shipments of the Vision Pro in the first year from 700,000 to 400,000 units, and sales fell 80% in the second half of 2024 compared to the first quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Resale prices for the Vision Pro have also dropped over the past few months. The average resale price for the base version of the Vision Pro was $2,494 in September, up from $2,710 in August on Swappa, a marketplace for buying and selling used technology products.
Image source (video screenshot): wsj.com
It is worth noting that, for example, for Meta✴ Quest virtual reality headsets, the most popular type of applications are games. Apple, on the other hand, is positioning the Vision Pro as a broader device for work, health and entertainment. Instead of focusing on the controllers needed for most games, Vision Pro only uses hand and eye tracking to allow users to interact with the software, which is a barrier to game creation.
In the meantime, many developers are waiting for the more affordable Vision Pro model, which is expected to be released next year. This model will presumably not have EyeSight and will have a starting price of $2,000. Let us remind you that the price of the current version of the headset is $3,500, which makes it not particularly attractive to the mass consumer and holds back sales.