Commentary: Strong Interest in Apple’s Vision Pro Belies Lackluster Sales
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Apple Inc.’s Vision Pro, the company’s first immersive virtual reality headset, may find it hard to replicate the success of iPhones in China. Despite strong interest among consumers to trial the U.S. tech giant’s so-called “spatial computing device,” problems have emerged, including a lack of functions and high price, which are likely to hinder sales.
On June 28, Apple launched the Vision Pro in the Chinese market, sparking a wave of bookings for an in-store trial experience. Indicative of the customer interest, this week, Caixin visited five Apple stores in Beijing and found customers could only make bookings in three-to-four days’ time at the earliest.
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- Apple's Vision Pro struggled with sales in China due to a high price of 29,999 yuan ($4,125) and limited functions.
- The headset requires extensive setup time, fitting face covers, vision correction, and gesture instructions.
- Despite initial consumer interest and trials, the devices’ full potential wasn't realized, though it has enterprise applications in areas like medical surgeries.
- Apple Inc.
- Apple Inc. launched its first immersive virtual reality headset, Vision Pro, in China on June 28. Despite strong initial interest, the headset faces challenges, including its high price (29,999 yuan or $4,125) and limited functionality mainly targeting entertainment. Early sales have been sluggish, and it hasn't surpassed other existing headsets in terms of features. Apple is also targeting enterprise clients, providing Vision Pro to a hospital for surgical assistance.
- Tencent Video
- Tencent Video is one of the main Chinese streaming platforms that has launched apps tailored for Apple's Vision Pro headset, allowing users to view photos and videos through the device.
- Microsoft
- The article mentions that users of Apple's Vision Pro can utilize Microsoft Office software like Word and Excel. This indicates that Microsoft has made its productivity tools compatible with the Vision Pro headset, allowing users to perform office-related tasks in a virtual reality environment.
- Xreal
- Xreal is a Beijing-based augmented reality glasses startup, co-founded by Wu Kejian, who serves as the chief algorithm scientist. Wu noted that while Apple's Vision Pro integrates functions of existing headsets in the Chinese market, it doesn't surpass them in terms of functionality and stressed the importance of creating a lightweight, comfortable, and feature-packed portable headset for better user engagement.
- ID*)
- The Vision Pro’s initial sales in China have been sluggish due to its high price of 29,999 yuan ($4,125) and limited functionality beyond immersive entertainment. It faces competition from cheaper, high-end virtual reality headsets. Despite strong consumer interest in trials, few are buying it. The device’s setup is lengthy and primarily enhances entertainment experiences, making it hard to justify its high price. Apple is also targeting enterprise clients and has provided the Vision Pro to a hospital for medical applications.
- June 28, 2024：
- Apple launched the Vision Pro in the Chinese market.
- June 28, 2024：
- An Apple store in Beijing's Sanlitun area sold around 200 Vision Pro headsets, the most among all Apple stores in China.
- This week (As of the article's timeline)：
- Caixin visited five Apple stores in Beijing and found customers could only make bookings in three-to-four days’ time at the earliest.
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