Apple Vision Pro Launches In Europe Amidst Sluggish Sales

Matthew Broersma,
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Apple Vision Pro viewed in a store. Image credit Unsplash

Apple Vision Pro headset takes No. 2 VR headset spot after Meta, but analysts say device needs lower-cost model with stronger apps

Apple’s Vision Pro headset held a muted launch in locations across Europe on Friday, including the UK, where customers booked appointments throughout the day to try out the £3,500 headset.

The launch in Canada, France, Germany and the UK follows the headset’s debut in Asian markets including China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore on 28 June.

Apple’s entry into the virtual reality headset market this year has propelled it to the No. 2 spot after Meta Platforms, according to a June report from IDC.

ByteDance, Xreal and HTC rounded out the top five by sales.

Apple Vision Pro logo viewed in front of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York. Image credit Unsplash
Image credit: Unsplash

Seeking killer apps

Apple took more than 50 percent of the total market by monetary value, due to its high price tag, the research house found.

But the device’s success “will ultimately depend on the content available”, said analyst Francisco Jeronimo.

“As Apple expands the product to international markets, it’s crucial that local content is also made available,” he said.

Apple said recently that “more than 2,000” apps are available for the device some five months after its launch in the US.

That compares to more than 20,000 for the iPad by mid-2010, a few months after it went on sale, and 10,000 for the iPhone by the end of 2008, the year the App Store launched.

IDC estimated that Apple had yet to sell 100,000 of the devices in a single quarter since the US launch in February, and faces a 75 percent drop in the domestic market in the current quarter.

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Weak sales

The firm believes the domestic weakness will be offset by international launches, but projected that sales would not rise much over the coming year.

Interest could be piqued by a lower-cost model, which IDC expects to launch in late 2025.

Apple has internally lowered its Vision Pro sales expectations to around 400,000 to 450,000 units this year, down from 700,000 to 800,000 earlier, due to declining demand, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities.

IDC said its projections for the year are also about 400,000 units, almost half of this outside the US, out of a total market of 7.3 million units.

The firm said sales figures could rise more quickly on lower hardware prices and more attractive apps.