We’ve known about the Vision Pro for more than half a year (not to mention years of rumors), but Apple’s first “spatial computing” device is one of the biggest question marks in consumer electronics heading into the new year. The $3,499 headset was given an “early 2024” release timeframe when it was unveiled at WWDC in June, but since then, the company hasn’t gotten more specific.
Apple Oracle Ming-Chi Kuo Offered an early holiday gift on December 24, narrowing down what is believed to be a “late January/early February” release date for the system. The analyst says the first wave of Vision Pros will ship to Apple in about a month, with shipments totaling about 500,000 for the full year.
Company Precise aim This year it remains an open question. About a month after the device was unveiled, reports indicated that Apple had lowered its forecast from about 1 million to “less than 400,000.”
Even the updated figure of 500,000 is small for a company of Apple’s massive size and influence. Keep in mind that the company should ship more than 200 million iPhones this year.
However, Vision Pro is widely viewed as the biggest maneuver during Tim Cook’s 12-year tenure as CEO. Not only is it a completely new category and form factor for the company, but it’s also steeply priced, even for customers who are used to shelling out more money for Apple products. Add to that VR’s decades-long failure to live up to expectations, and you have a big uphill battle on your hands.
Kuo refers to the Vision Pro as Apple’s “most important product of 2024.” Given the years of speculation and all the time and money the company has undoubtedly poured into the headphones, it’s hard to argue with that statement.