Some months after Apple Vision Pro reached buyers in February, the excitement that greeted it has quietly drained away, leaving the headset to sit in the margins of public attention. An iMore columnist, watching the interest fade faster than they have seen for almost any product, argues that the device has yet to find the people and partners it needs to matter beyond its early novelty. The question now is whether a company that has built its reputation on turning new categories into everyday habits can do the same with a machine that still asks a great deal of its owners.
Apple Vision Pro Needs More Than visionOS 2 to Recapture Momentum, Writer Argues
Then, overnight, it was gone.
Mark
Why does a column about a headset's fading buzz matter?
Mimi
Because the launch was enormous. Years of rumors, a WWDC unveiling, then days of viral clips. The author's point is how steep the drop was afterward.
Luke
Worth saying that 'faster than almost any product in living memory' is the author's impression. The piece cites no sales figures or traffic data.
Mark
So what evidence does it offer?
Mimi
Mostly absence: few front-page stories, few new apps, hardly any visionOS 2 rumors. It names a couple of games, What If...? and Job Simulator.
Luke
Absence of rumors before WWDC isn't proof of weak sales. It's a mood, not a measurement.
Mark
The developer argument seems the most pointed.
Mimi
Yes. The author ties Apple's fights over antitrust rules and the DMA to reluctance among developers to build for Vision Pro.
Luke
That link is the writer's inference. No developer is quoted saying that's why they're staying away.
Mark
And the price?
Mimi
$3,499, compared with a top MacBook Pro or several other Apple devices combined. The author admits Apple won't cut it.
Luke
Fair, and the Netflix line is the one sourced statement: 'not really particularly relevant.' Everything else is opinion about what might work.
Il Polso
- Interest in Apple Vision Pro has dropped off sharply, and the headlines that once followed every clip of someone wearing it have nearly vanished.
- With WWDC 2024 days away, the rumor mill has gone quiet on visionOS 2, leaving the headset without a clear catalyst to revive it.
- Developers are reluctant to build for the device, and the goodwill Apple has spent on its App Store disputes is making that reluctance harder to overcome.
- Critics press for an international launch, a lower $3,499 price, and major streaming partners like Netflix and Amazon, though the author admits some of these fixes are unlikely.
- The author believes that turning the headset into a mainstream product could take years, and the next real signal will come only when Apple speaks at WWDC.
Some months after Apple Vision Pro reached buyers in February, the excitement that greeted it has quietly drained away, leaving the headset to sit in the margins of public attention. An iMore columnist, watching the interest fade faster than they have seen for almost any product, argues that the device has yet to find the people and partners it needs to matter beyond its early novelty. The question now is whether a company that has built its reputation on turning new categories into everyday habits can do the same with a machine that still asks a great deal of its owners.
In the first days after Apple Vision Pro went on sale in February, the internet was full of people wearing it on subways, on planes, and even, against the law, behind the wheel. An iMore writer now looks back on that burst of attention as a brief moment in the sun, one that faded almost overnight.
The column is blunt: interest in the headset has dropped faster than for nearly any product the author can recall. Apple had hinted at the device for years, and when it debuted at WWDC 2023 it seemed to mark the start of a new era. Now it rarely makes the front page. A few spatial games, such as Marvel's What If...? and Job Simulator, are the only real signs of life, and the rumor mill has produced almost nothing ahead of visionOS 2.
The author proposes fixes. The most obvious is an international launch, since sales remain limited to the United States. Developer relations are another problem, strained by Apple's fights over app store rules and its reluctant compliance with new regulation. Price is a third: at $3,499, the headset costs more than a top MacBook Pro and far more than most of Apple's other devices combined. Finally, the author wants bigger partners, pointing to Disney as a model and urging deals with Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, though Netflix has already called the headset not especially relevant to its customers.
The writer is only mildly curious about visionOS 2. Such changes, they argue, are just the start, and making Vision Pro a mainstream device at a matching price could take years. The next signal arrives at WWDC next week.
In the first days after Apple Vision Pro went on sale in February, the internet filled with clips of people wearing the headset on the subway, on flights, while piloting aircraft, and, illegally, while driving. A writer at iMore now looks back on that stretch as a brief moment in the sun, and argues that the light went out almost overnight.
The piece is an opinion column, and its claim is blunt: consumer and media interest in the headset has faded faster than for almost any product the author can remember. Apple's spatial computing device had been rumored for years under the working name Apple VR. It was unveiled at WWDC 2023, where it felt to the author like the start of a new era, possibly a more important product than the iPhone. Now, a few months after release, it rarely appears on front pages.
The author points to what little activity there is. A few new spatial games have arrived, including Marvel's What If...? and Job Simulator. Beyond that, the headset is making few waves. WWDC 2024 is days away and visionOS 2 may appear there, yet the rumor mill has produced almost nothing about it. The writer says no single software upgrade comes to mind that could wake the headset from its slumber.
So the column lays out what Apple might do instead. The first fix is the most obvious: an international launch. Vision Pro is sold only in the United States, which sharply limits its appeal. The author imagines that a developer in Sweden or a company in Japan might have a transformative use for it but has had no chance to try the device.
The second is developer relations, which the author describes as being at an all-time low. Apple's resistance to antitrust legislation that could make iPhone app development more financially sustainable and flexible, and its kicking-and-screaming approach to complying with the Digital Markets Act, have spent a lot of goodwill. Mobile developers still need Apple because the balance of power on iPhone and iPad is in its hands. Vision Pro, though, badly needs apps, and developers seem reluctant to build for it despite the platform's technical merits.
Third is price. The author concedes there is no hope of it happening but says $3,499 is too much for mass appeal. That is nearly the cost of Apple's best laptop, the M3 Max MacBook Pro, and more than enough to buy an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and a MacBook Air with money left over.
Fourth is bigger partners. Disney is the bright spot: it has a full Disney+ app for Vision Pro, has invested in Apple's immersive environments, and recently released the What If...? immersive story. The author wants similar deals with Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, and others. Netflix has already said the headset is "not really particularly relevant" to its customers, which the author says calls for a sit-down with Tim Cook.
As for visionOS 2, the writer is only mildly curious. These fixes, they say, are the tip of the iceberg, and turning Vision Pro into a mainstream device with a matching price could take years. The next signal comes at WWDC 2024 next week.
Citazioni salienti
The headset is 'not really particularly relevant' to its customers.— Netflix, as cited by the iMore writer
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