Apple's Vision Pro headset is still failing to see appeal among consumers, according to a new report from the Financial Times.
Data from IDC claims that Apple shipped 390,000 Vision Pro units in 2024. IDC expected Apple to ship just 45,000 new Vision Pro units in the latest quarter of 2025. The Financial Times stressed that this compares to millions of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks sold each quarter. Luxshare, the Vision Pro's assembler, apparently halted production of the headset at the start of 2025.
According to Sensor Tower, Apple has apparently reduced digital advertising spending for the Vision Pro by more than 95% over the past year in key markets including the United States and United Kingdom. The report also noted that Apple did little to expand the device's international rollout in 2025.
Morgan Stanley analysts told the Financial Times that "the cost, form factor and the lack of VisionOS native apps are the reasons why the Vision Pro never sold broadly." Since the device's debut in 2024, critics have highlighted practical shortcomings such as the device's weight, discomfort during extended use, and limited battery life.
Apple is said to be struggling with a platform adoption problem, with an insufficient number of users to motivate developers and insufficient apps to attract users. Apple says around 3,000 apps are designed specifically for Vision Pro, a figure that lags far behind the rapid growth of the iPhone App Store after its launch in 2008. Appfigures notes that this total likely includes niche and industry-specific software.
The challenges facing the Vision Pro reflect broader weakness in the virtual reality market. According to Counterpoint Research, global VR headset shipments declined 14% year on year. Meta still dominates the sector, accounting for around 80% of sales with its Quest headsets, which are significantly cheaper than the Vision Pro but less technologically advanced. Even so, Meta has reportedly scaled back its own marketing spend for VR hardware, suggesting limited consumer momentum across the category.
