The Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s latest foray into the frontier of augmented reality headsets, launched with an initial sale figure that reached between 160,000 to 180,000 units over the first weekend. Ming-Chi Kuo, a widely respected analyst, reported, “Based on pre-order inventory and shipping time, I estimated that Apple sold 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro units during the first pre-order weekend.” Despite the strong start, Kuo expressed some concerns, noting that “shipping times remained unchanged 48 hours after pre-orders opened,” suggesting a potential demand plateau following the initial rush from core fans and heavy users.
The sales figures represent a significant portion of the total expected sales, which were initially projected to be around 400,000 units for the first year. Kuo’s analysis indicates that Apple may need to increase its production targets as the demand is close to half of the forecasted annual sales. Although the Vision Pro did not experience the immediate sell-out characteristic of popular iPhone models, the analyst still predicts Apple will reach 500,000 unit sales.
On the heels of the launch, investment firm Wedbush has adjusted its outlook, expressing bullish sentiment and revising its 2024 sales forecast for the Apple Vision Pro from 460,000 to approximately 600,000 units. The revision comes in response to the device’s impressive initial sales and the growing number of applications available on the platform. “Based on our initial reads/delivery times it looks like close to 180k Vision Pro units were sold over the weekend in a very impressive Cupertino launch,” Wedbush analysts remarked, projecting a doubling of available apps by summer.
Despite the promising sales, Apple has encountered manufacturing challenges, as reported by the Financial Times, which led to a lowered production target for the Vision Pro. Citing unnamed sources close to Apple and Luxshare, the assembly partner, the initial production target was revised to fewer than 400,000 units for 2024. Production complexities, particularly those related to the high-resolution micro-OLED displays, have contributed to this adjustment and delayed plans for a more affordable version of the headset.
In contrast to more conservative internal projections and the production snags, Bank of America analysts are notably more optimistic, forecasting Apple to move 1.5 million units of the Vision Pro in its first full year on the market. This outlook reflects the analysts’ expectations of a significant adoption rate among Apple’s “massive user base of over 1.2 billion active users.”
Apple’s Vision Pro stands as a potential catalyst for the company’s broader technological vision, including a foray into artificial intelligence (AI) and the possibility of an AI App Store, as Wedbush analysts suggested. “We strongly disagree [with the dismissal of Vision Pro as noise] and believe it’s the first step towards a much broader technology vision that Cook & Co. plan to push to its golden Cupertino installed base over the coming years.”
Relevant articles:
– Apple sold 200000 Vision Pros
– Vision Pro sales estimated at 160k to 180k over first three days, 9to5Mac, Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:09:00 GMT
– Very impressive Apple Vision Pro launch has inspired Wedbush analysts, AppleInsider, Wed, 24 Jan 2024 16:05:00 GMT
– Apple Reportedly Expects To Sell Fewer Than 400,000 Vision Pro Headsets Next Year Due To Production Snags, Forbes, Mon, 03 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT