Abstract
- Apple has reportedly hit a significant snag with the Imaginative and prescient Professional, as manufacturing associate Luxshare halted manufacturing in early 2025
- Market analysis estimates present an enormous drop in momentum, with solely 45,000 items shipped through the “essential” 2025 vacation quarter — a fraction of the 390,000 items shipped throughout its 2024 launch 12 months
- Knowledge signifies Apple slashed its digital promoting spend for the gadget by over 95% in key markets just like the U.S. and UK throughout 2025, signaling a shift in focus away from the $3,499 USD headset
Apple’s hyped Imaginative and prescient Professional is hitting a tough actuality verify. A number of stories say Apple’s Chinese language associate Luxshare halted manufacturing in early 2025 and that solely about 45,000 items shipped within the essential 2025 vacation quarter, versus 390,000 in its 2024 launch 12 months.
At $3,499 USD and nonetheless solely formally bought in 13 international locations, the headset stayed locked in early-adopter territory. Reviewers and customers known as out the heavy, front-loaded design, quick battery life, and a skinny app ecosystem that by no means matched the promise of “spatial computing.” Advertising and marketing tells the story even louder. Sensor Tower information suggests Apple lower digital advert spend for Imaginative and prescient Professional by greater than 95% throughout key markets in 2025, a pointy distinction to the full-court press that accompanied its 2024 rollout.
Meta’s cheaper Quest lineup now owns round 80% of the VR market, and the whole headset house reportedly shrank 14% year-on-year. That leaves Apple making an attempt to construct a brand new platform whereas the class itself cools.
Analysts body Imaginative and prescient Professional as a uncommon miss for an organization used to iPhone-level scale, however Apple’s personal positioning has all the time been totally different. From day one, the official line pitched Imaginative and prescient Professional as a “revolutionary spatial pc” aimed toward redefining interfaces, not immediately changing the iPhone.
Behind the scenes, Apple is already pivoting. Provide-chain chatter and up to date protection level to a less expensive Imaginative and prescient mannequin, a deeper push into AI-driven good glasses, and an extended recreation the place right now’s flawed headset is simply the dev equipment for no matter lastly cracks the face-computing code.
