Apple Vision Pro Turns One: The Hype, the Challenges, and the Future

The Apple Vision Pro officially turned one year old on February 2, but the celebrations around this landmark were subdued, as production was halted at the start of 2025.

Despite grand plans to revolutionize mixed-reality, the headset has not lived up to the hype, with sales falling short of expectations. Apple’s efforts to push this premium headset into the hands of customers have met with mixed results, and as of now, less than 500,000 units have been sold.

A High Price with Limited Appeal

At a hefty $3,499, the Apple Vision Pro was always a product aimed at early adopters and tech enthusiasts, not the general public.

Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized that the device was not made for mass consumption, but rather for those eager to experience “tomorrow’s technology today.” Still, the price point and the headset’s limited use cases have made it a hard sell for many.

Despite its promise, the Apple Vision Pro didn’t offer enough utility to justify the cost for some buyers. The battery life of just two hours per charge and the absence of an app ecosystem meant that many users found little value beyond content consumption.

User retention also proved to be a challenge, with many who could afford the product returning it after realizing that its potential was still far from fully realized.

Apple’s Plan for the Future: A More Affordable Vision Pro

To address these concerns, Apple is reportedly working on a more affordable version of the Vision Pro, aiming to make the headset more accessible to a wider audience. Alongside that, visionOS 2.2 will introduce ultrawide display support to improve productivity features.

There are also whispers of a successor in the works, equipped with the M5 chip and better spatial computing capabilities, indicating Apple’s continued commitment to the mixed-reality space.

But even with these improvements, the market for such a device is still in its early stages, and it may take years before the Apple Vision Pro reaches its full potential.