Skip to main content

Apple’s Reality Pro headset is the VR industry’s ‘last hope’

Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset hasn’t even launched, yet it’s already being touted as the “last hope” for the virtual reality (VR) headset industry. It shows what a dire situation the market is in, at least according to some estimates.

The grim appraisal comes from respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a post on Medium, Kuo explained that other headset makers have cut their production plans and are shipping far fewer units than previously expected. The malaise affects augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) headsets as well as their VR counterparts, says Kuo.

Recommended Videos

Some critical updates on the sales/shipments of AR/VR headset devices / 有些關於AR/VR頭戴裝置的銷售/出貨關鍵更新https://t.co/lWF0FONYjG

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 5, 2023

“Apple’s announcement event is likely the last hope for convincing investors that the AR/MR headset device could have a chance to be the next star product in consumer electronics,” Kuo believes. Apple is expected to launch its headset, dubbed Reality Pro, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5.

The situation is so gloomy because demand for these headsets is apparently much lower than anticipated. Kuo estimates that “Sony has cut its 2023 production plan for the PSVR 2 by about 20%,” while “the product lifecycle shipment for Meta’s Quest Pro is only around 300,000 units.” Meanwhile, Pico (China’s largest mixed-reality headset maker) saw shipments fall 40% below expectations in 2022, Kuo noted.

That all paints a picture of an industry in trouble, and there is currently “insufficient evidence” to suggest that mixed reality headsets can capture the public’s imagination — and their hard-earned cash — in the foreseeable future, Kuo’s report concluded.

Bleak prospects

A rendering of an Apple mixed-reality headset (Reality Pro) in a gray color seen from the front.
Apple headset render. Ahmed Chenni, Freelancer.com

Despite not even hitting the shelves yet, Apple’s headset hasn’t escaped this negative atmosphere. Some company employees are apparently worried about its future, while one prominent Apple reporter has said the device risks becoming a “high-profile flop” due to its expensive price (estimated to be around $3,000) and a customer base skeptical of mixed reality headsets’ utility and attractiveness.

These are hardly ideal conditions for Apple to launch the Reality Pro into. Although rivals’ weaknesses might be an opportunity for Apple to gobble up market share, it is still expected to sell relatively few units of its headset.

In fact, Kuo has previously stated that Apple is so concerned that the Reality Pro will fail to create its own “iPhone moment” that the company has chosen to delay its launch from WWDC to a future date. In the end, that might prove to be a wise decision.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
The gloves are off as The Zuck lays into Apple’s Vision Pro
Mark Zuckerberg discussing the Quest 3 and Vision Pro.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg took to Instagram on Tuesday to knock Apple’s new Vision Pro headset while singing the praises of his own company’s Quest 3 alternative.

In a video lasting 3 minutes and 40 seconds and shot entirely on the Quest 3, The Zuck only had two positive things to say about the Vision Pro, praising its higher screen resolution and its “really nice” eye-tracking. For the rest of it, he lauds Meta’s Quest 3 headset while at the same time tearing into Apple’s competing device, which launched earlier this month.

Read more
Vision Pro App Store reaches early milestone, Apple reveals
A person tilts their head while wearing the Apple Vision Pro.

One of the drawbacks of Apple’s new Vision Pro headset is the small number of available apps. Sure, you can load most iPad apps onto the mixed-reality headset, but it’s the tailor-made apps that really bring out the best in the Vision Pro.

The good news is that the Vision Pro App Store now has 1,000 visionOS apps ready for download by owners of the face-based computer, which started shipping for $3,499 on February 2.

Read more
Vision Pro could take ‘four generations’ to reach ideal form
The front visor of the Vision Pro on display at an Apple Store.

Apple employees working closely with the new Vision Pro mixed-reality headset believe it could take “four generations before the device reaches its ideal form,” according to prominent Apple tipster Mark Gurman.

In his weekly Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Gurman cited his source as “some people in [Apple’s] Vision Products Group" who work directly on the headset.

Read more