Apple has reportedly thrown in the towel on its mixed reality headset ambitions. Fresh reports claim the tech giant is moving away from the Vision Pro after the recent M5 chip update failed to attract buyers. The expensive headset struggled to find an audience when it first launched at $3499.
Now, poor sales of the refreshed model have supposedly forced the company to scrap its long-term plans for the product category completely.
The company cancels headset plans after weak hardware sales
The original headset grabbed plenty of attention, but its massive $3499 price tag kept most regular people away. Fans hoped the recent M5 processor update would bring better features or perhaps a slightly lower cost. Instead, the refresh did very little to boost interest in the USA market or globally.
Supply chain insiders say factories are already slowing down production for the device. The company simply ordered fewer parts because retail stores have too many unsold boxes sitting in back rooms.
Without a clear reason for regular consumers to buy it, the headset remained a niche toy for wealthy tech fans. The massive research costs are no longer worth it for a product that hardly anyone buys.
Engineers shift their focus back to standard consumer hardware
With the headset project winding down, the company is moving its smartest engineers to different teams. Workers who spent years building virtual reality spaces will now work on laptops, phones, and standard software features.
This marks a huge shift for the brand. Just a few years ago, it was called spatial computing, the next big era of technology. Now, reality has set in. Building a heavy headset with a battery pack was a risky bet that did not pay off.
Current owners will likely still get basic software updates for a while to keep the device running. However, major new features and future hardware versions are basically dead. The tech giant is cutting its losses and walking away.
