The Apple Vision Pro is easily one of the most exciting products of 2024, one that was very interested in for a while. Apple’s limited launch and the delayed release in Europe ultimately made me reconsider. I still tried the device when it finally became available in the EU, and while the Apple Store demo blew my mind, I still wasn’t ready to make the purchase.
The biggest limitation was the Apple Account constraints. Add the $3,499 starting price, and the Vision Pro no longer seems exciting.
I still think the spatial computer experience Apple created is a key building block of the AI computing experience that’s coming. Apple still has to add Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro, but that will probably happen soon.
Meanwhile, with 2024 having drawn to a close, Apple might have stopped producing new Vision Pro units altogether. The spatial computer is still in stock, but with production either halted or about to be stopped, the Vision Pro might sell out in some areas in the coming months.
Apple isn’t likely to confirm that Vision Pro manufacturing lines are closed. But MacRumors recalls a recent report from The Information that said Apple had reduced production abruptly back in October. The company is said to have been planning to stop manufacturing the first-gen device by the end of 2024.
Apple reportedly started scaling back production during the summer, but not before ensuring it would have enough stock to last through the end of 2025. The report also says some suppliers may have stopped making new components even sooner, as far back as May 2023.
Parts suppliers might have provided Apple with enough components to manufacture between 500,000 and 600,000 Vision Pro units. As for the production capacity last fall, Luxshare is believed to have assembled about 1,000 Vision Pro headsets per day in October, half the company’s peak rate.
The assembly lines will not be immediately dismantled, with Apple reportedly ready to restart production if sales pick up. I don’t see how that can happen, though. Apple made improvements to visionOS that make the spatial computer even more compelling. Apple Intelligence should also arrive soon, but I can’t see how demand for Vision Pro can increase at this point in time.
After all, Apple is also reportedly working on a cheaper Vision Pro variant. It’s unclear when that device will launch or whether it will precede the next flagship model. A Vision Pro 2 refresh featuring updated hardware might launch by spring 2026.
It wouldn’t be surprising for the Vision Pro 2 to use some of the parts inventory already available to Apple. The company could also keep using the existing production lines for a new device since much of the hardware should be identical to the first-gen model.
Regardless of Apple’s plans for new hardware, the company still has to figure out why a spatial computer should be a must-have device for end users. When that happens, and the price drops, Vision Pro demand could truly pick up.
