Live data from Hacker News

Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

gizmodo.com

101–110 of 223 posts

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#101

I think VR is a symptom that we're both running out of fertile tech to mine, and the population at large is tired of it. In order to make a compelling experience the tech is Very Expensive...and what it really is is a funky monitor and funky mouse. Well monitors are a couple hundred bucks and a mouse is $50. And even when it _is_ affordable, it's just not 'sticky' (yes, I know, poor choice of words) I've used 'em sin…

I think this is approaching the end of what this VR form factor can produce. Compact pass through glasses + Dramatically improved “AI” assistants is almost certainly going to be the end goal for what these technologies look like.

Google glass may have been on the right course all along

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#102
post #28

I’ve said it before on this forum: Tim Cook needs to go for this.

For this specifically? I dunno, I mean let Apple release a new flop AVP every year for the next 5 years and so long as the rest of the company performs like it has during the last decade then it still isn't really more than a dent against the guy. Vanishingly few want leadership out because of a single botched product launch that didn't even prevent the quarterly numbers from being extremely strong.

Maybe there are other reasons that factor into why you think Tim should go as well but that's not really "for this" then (and probably still not a generally popular conclusion but at least more reasonably based).

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#103

I wonder whether the behavior Apple has exhibited around their developer relations (especially their EU / notorization related troubles) has had a chilling effect on people's willingness to support a new platform like this. Without the raw number of users that something like the iPhone has, does Apple make it worthwhile to create apps / games for their platforms? I'm not a developer, so maybe there is a more technica…

It's a combination of two things: there's not enough users, and the device just isn't comfortable enough for that niche of ultra-enthusiast users to use it for extended periods. Apple really shot themselves in the foot here with the headstrap design and by weighing it down with the metal and glass housing. Even the "good" strap is unbalanced and uncomfortable and so practical for very little but consuming content in…

> practical for very little but consuming content in a reclined position.

You can create content in a recline position too. It's utterly fantastic, actually, if you just have a little tray in your lap for a wireless keyboard, and a mouse on a table on your armrest.

I really think the future of VR is mostly in a reclined position, actually -- headset weight becomes a non-issue, and it just avoids developing postural problems. It's infinitely better for your back and neck and shoulders than sitting in a chair at a desk all day long.

The Meta Quest finally recently gained the ability to shift your environment to a vertical angle, for reclining or lying down in bed.

I don't really see VR's killer app being immersive games while standing up or sitting down, because of motion sickness. I think it's going to be reclining, doing work on big screens as well as watching content on big screens and immersively. I think we're just waiting for the displays to increase their resolution a bit more, and for prices for those displays to come down.

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#104
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>maybe I'm missing something obvious here. It's an expensive gadget for a niche [0] market. $3500 is an incredibly high price for what it is. 0, https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/ 1.75% of Steam users have a VR headset as of June this year which is lower than the people who are using Linux for gaming (2.08%). So you can see how small the VR market is. And the top alternatives are $500 (Quest 3) and $1000 (Valve…

Exactly. Revisit this stat in a couple of years once we are all talking about Vision Pro v3? This product is going to take a while to a) get good and b) go mainstream

"It's a dev kit for those willing to spend on early access to Apple's AR/VR ecosystem" was always the sane take, it was really weird watching so many people convince themselves that it was a mass-market product and then convince themselves that the failure of a mass-market audience to materialize was some kind of a disaster.

I have no visibility inside Apple so I don't know if they drank their own kool-aid on this one or if this is just Ye Olde Yellow Journalism, but it's a strange amount of drama over something that in any other industry would be a complete non-story, even at ten times the dollar amount. Probably more than that, depending on the industry!

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#105

I don't think the price is the problem. People spend a lot on hobbies (it amazes me how many people ride 5000-10000€ road bikes). It's obviously too expensive that everyone buys one, but there are still lots of people who could afford it. The bigger problem is that I just see absolutely no reason to buy it.

I agree with the exception of you being surprised that folks will spend 5000E on a road bike. Of all my discretionary purchases my custom roadbike might well be my happiest. A well fitting allroad bike can take you to the grocery store or up a gravel road to a mountain pass and make both journeys joyful. I'm on mine most days to do something practical made fun and healthy and sustainable, too : )

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#106
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>maybe I'm missing something obvious here. It's an expensive gadget for a niche [0] market. $3500 is an incredibly high price for what it is. 0, https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/ 1.75% of Steam users have a VR headset as of June this year which is lower than the people who are using Linux for gaming (2.08%). So you can see how small the VR market is. And the top alternatives are $500 (Quest 3) and $1000 (Valve…

I'd happily buy one for $500, but $3500 is way too much

considering it has a CPU that is as powerful as the MacBook Pro, I find your target price extremely optimistic.

hopefully once the display tech becomes cheaper, the overall price will come down quite a bit. But $500? unrealistic expectations IMO. Maybe in 10 years.

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#107

Sounds like the consumer tech version of "$70k EVs aren't selling anymore!" It was extremely pricey and saturated the market, and from what I read most of the market was underwhelmed by its capabilities. I'm still waiting on my virtual workstation where I can have infinite virtual monitor space, instead we keep getting various whiz-bang gimmicks that are good for a demo but have no real use.

Sounds like the consumer tech version of "$70k EVs aren't selling anymore!"

Misinformation. The good EVs are selling quite well. It's just that their price has effectively dropped quite a lot. My wife's Model Y which cost us nearly $80k (we bought at peak price: the prior Corolla got totalled) now has the equivalent 2024 model selling for $42k!

The crappy EVs (ie most everyone else's) aren't selling, because they are inferior in efficiency and software implementation. Rivian and Lucid vehicles are pretty good, but those companies are still at risk of never showing a profit. I've been in a Hyundai Ionic 5, and that seemed decent too.

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#109

I wonder whether the behavior Apple has exhibited around their developer relations (especially their EU / notorization related troubles) has had a chilling effect on people's willingness to support a new platform like this. Without the raw number of users that something like the iPhone has, does Apple make it worthwhile to create apps / games for their platforms? I'm not a developer, so maybe there is a more technica…

>Or, maybe it isn't Apple-specific; maybe there simply isn't enough users, or VR/AR as a software paradigm is currently too far removed from how companies design their applications, and it is just a matter of time until they adapt.

Pretty much this. People, generally, just are NOT going to wear this on their face for very long, if at all. This product solved zero problems that most people have. It's literally an iPad you wear on your face and most people would much rather spend $500 on an iPad.

Re: Apple Vision Pro U.S. Sales Are All but Dead, Market Analysts Say

#110

"...analysts have noted that many who bought one were confused by its more complicated setup and what they were supposed to use it for in their daily lives." There's the root of the problem right there. Apple's best successes had a very clear purpose in mind from the beginning: - iPod: 1,000 songs in your pocket - iPhone: A phone, an internet communicator, an iPod - iPad: Media consumption AVP didn't have a clear pur…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN