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Express Tribune
20-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Apple Vision Pro a flop? Users regret purchase one year from launch
Listen to article A year after Apple launched the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, early adopters are voicing regret over the £3,500 purchase, citing discomfort, limited functionality, and poor resale value. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, multiple Vision Pro buyers have criticised the device's bulky design and questioned its practical use. 'It's just collecting dust. I think I've probably used it four times in the last year,' said Dustin Fox, a real estate agent in Virginia. He noted that the headset's weight, over 1.3 pounds (nearly 600g), made it painful to wear for more than 30 minutes. Fox added that while he considered selling the device, he doubted he would recoup even half the original cost. Another user, Tovia Goldstein, echoed the sentiment: 'I wouldn't recommend anyone buying it, unless you're really rich and don't know what to do with your money.' Apple releases Apple vision pro ... resulting in rise of Appleholes Driver using apple vision pro while driving getting pulled over by police. People using them in — Darth Intra (@darthintra) February 4, 2024 Some users also complained about the long startup process and negative public reactions when wearing the headset outside. One user reported reselling the Vision Pro for $1,900, roughly 46% less than the launch price. While Apple promoted the Vision Pro as a gateway to a new era of spatial computing, the device has struggled to find traction. Despite strong interest at launch — an estimated 160,000 to 180,000 units were pre-ordered — users quickly reported issues such as neck strain, headaches and poor usability. Apple, which admitted early on that it did not expect mass-market sales, halved its shipment forecast to 400,000 units. Demo bookings dropped sharply, and reports surfaced that suppliers ceased production of key components just months after release. If it wasn't already massively understood that Apple needs to lower the price of the Vision Pro… not a single contestant guessed within $2,200 of the real price. Literally 'it's one banana Michael, what could it cost, $10?' but in reverse. — Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyLabs) May 14, 2025 In January 2025, Apple 'temporarily' paused manufacturing due to low demand. Still, the company is reportedly working on two follow-up devices, including a lighter, more affordable Vision Pro 2. Whether the next iteration can overcome the stumbles of its predecessor remains to be seen. For now, many users feel the Vision Pro was an expensive experiment that fell short of expectations. "Early adopters of Apple's Vision Pro headsets have one thing to show for the year they've spent with their pricey purchases: regret." — Rodrigo Fernandes (@rodrigofm) May 16, 2025
Phone Arena
17-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Report notes that excitement over Vision Pro purchases soon turned to regret
It's possible that Apple did not do a good job promoting all of the Vision Pro 's capabilities to the general public. It also indicates that, unlike the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch, a product as complex as the Vision Pro needs a great deal of explanation to capture the attention of those who don't follow tech. On its release day, Apple promotes the Vision Pro at its Fifth Avenue store in New York City. | Image credit-Apple There's more to this story, however. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this past week that many Vision Pro buyers, having shelled out $3,499 and up for the model with 256GB of storage, $3,699 for 512GB of storage, and $3,899 for the unit with 1TB of storage, now realize that they have major regrets about the purchase. One Vision Pro owner cited by the Journal , Dustin Fox, said, "It's just collecting dust. I think I've probably used it four times in the last year." Like several other Vision Pro buyers, Fox has put his headset away where it sits alongside other gadgets he bought and doesn't use. Yet, when Apple released the product in February 2024, he said that he had to buy it. "I'm like a little boy when something new comes out," he admitted. As a realtor, he thought that the Vision Pro might help him with work. But that dream ended as soon as he donned the headset for the first time. The headset was just too heavy for Fox to wear for more than 20 to 30 minutes without it hurting his neck. Another disillusioned Vision Pro buyer, Tovia Goldstein, was looking forward to watching television shows and movies using the device, but said that after 60 minutes, he had to put it down. It's been four months since he last used the headset. Besides the weight of the device, Goldstein feels that there aren't enough apps available for the Vision Pro to make using it worthwhile. Every so often, he thinks about turning on the spatial computer to see if new apps have been added. However, the combination of the neck pain he experiences while using it and the three minutes it takes to plug in the battery stops him from trying again. Goldstein's recommendation? "I wouldn't recommend anyone buying it unless you're really rich and you don't know what to do with your money." The day the Vision Pro was released was filled with excitement. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited some Apple Stores in New York City, including the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. But the excitement went away, leaving many Vision Pro buyers feeling like Fox who told the Journal, "I feel total regret." Anshel Sag is another Vision Pro buyer, and he used to take his headset on flights to watch movies. Getting dirty looks from other passengers wasn't the whole problem. The size of the $199 Vision Pro case, an optional accessory, was the biggest issue, he said. If there were an award for the most ridiculous excuse for not using a purchased Vision Pro , it might belong to Anthony Racaniello, who said that during a six-hour flight to Las Vegas, the flight attendants kept rolling the drink cart past him because they assumed he was wearing a sleep mask. Racaniello also said that when he brought the Vision Pro to work to help him send emails or compile spreadsheets at the media studio he works at, colleagues told him to take it off because he looked creepy or they made fun of him. Frankly, if I were lucky enough to have the discretionary income that allows me to purchase a Vision Pro , and the device helped me do my work, I'd keep it on no matter what anyone else said. Apple is reportedly working on a second-generation Vision Pro using a new M5 chip. While some components will be reused thanks to the surplus Apple has in inventory, we could see changes to the weight of the new model making it lighter thus allowing users to wear it comfortably for longer sessions.
Wall Street Journal
15-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
They Paid $3,500 for Apple's Vision Pro. A Year Later, It Still Hurts.
Early adopters of Apple's Vision Pro headsets have one thing to show for the year they've spent with their pricey purchases: regret. 'It's just collecting dust,' Dustin Fox said about his mixed-reality headset, which looks like futuristic ski goggles. 'I think I've probably used it four times in the last year.' The $3,500 device sits in a bin with other gadgets he no longer picks up. The Vision Pro launched in February 2024 with great promise. It was Apple's first major product release in years! It's the first device you look through and not at! Typing can be done in the air! But buyers who wore them in the wild say they got nothing but dirty looks and sore necks. Now, the devices are daily reminders of their misplaced bravado. Fox, a realtor in Centreville, Va., had to have the Vision Pro as soon as it launched. 'I'm like a little boy when something new comes out,' he said. The 46-year-old thought he'd use it for work. Then he put it on his head. 'It's way too heavy,' Fox said about the device, which weighs just over a pound. 'I can't wear it for more than 20 or 30 minutes without it hurting my neck.' Tovia Goldstein was excited to wear his set to watch movies and TV shows. But he ended up needing breaks. 'After 60 minutes, you can't, you just have to throw it down,' he said. He hasn't touched it in about four months. Weight isn't the only issue for the 24-year-old New Yorker. There also aren't enough apps to make the Vision Pro worthwhile, he said. Goldstein thinks from time to time about getting the headset out of the closet and dusting it off to see if any new apps have been added. But the pain in the neck he gets, plus the painfully long three minutes it takes to plug in the battery and wait for it to turn on, make him think again. 'I wouldn't recommend anyone buying it,' he said, 'unless you're really rich and you don't know what to do with your money.' No player in the virtual reality space has yet to figure out how to drive widespread adoption of the technology. Apple hasn't disclosed how many of the devices it has sold. The company has struggled to get developers to make apps for the Vision Pro, putting its success at risk, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Apple declined to comment. It's a disappointing reversal from the fanfare that accompanied the headset's release last year, when CEO Tim Cook shook hands and chatted with fans at the flagship store in New York City. Soon after, the Vision Pro started showing up on streets, in restaurants and even at a basketball game. 'People were excited to be wearing it,' said Fox, who used to see people wearing the devices at his local mall. 'Then it just died.' He hasn't seen anyone with one in months. Fox thought about selling his own headset, but realized he could never get close to the $3,500 he paid. 'Every time I see it in the bin,' he said, 'I feel total regret.' Anshel Sag used to take his Vision Pro on flights to watch movies. 'I got pretty dirty looks from people,' said the tech analyst from San Diego. 'I don't need that.' Another reason the 35-year-old stopped flying with it: the size of the case. Sold separately for $199, the Vision Pro's pillowlike white protector is about a foot tall, 9 inches wide and 6.5 inches deep. 'It takes up like half of the volume of my carry-on,' said Sag. When Anthony Racaniello wore his set for a nearly six-hour flight to Las Vegas, the flight attendant kept rolling the drink carts past him without asking if he wanted something. The 41-year-old Philadelphia resident blames the Vision Pro for his thirst. 'You look like you have a sleep mask on,' he said, 'and people are going to treat you that way.' Racaniello also tried to wear it in the office, thinking he could fill out spreadsheets and type emails at the media studio he runs. But colleagues either made fun of him, told him he looked creepy or asked him to take it off. 'The best compliment I got was a light chuckle and, 'It looks like you're wearing ski goggles at work.' ' He recently sold his Vision Pro online for $1,900. He doesn't miss it. 'It's definitely a glimpse at the future. I just think it's a ways away from there,' he said. 'For now, you have to put on what feels like a 500-pound MacBook Pro, strap it to your face and have people laugh at you.' The experience hasn't, however, soured the Apple fan (who also bought the first iPhone) on the company. 'This is the first time, ever, that I've thought an Apple product was just a bit early, or ahead of its time,' said Racaniello. Yam Olisker, another Apple superfan, thought the Vision Pro would be the next iPhone. He flew to New York from Israel last year to be one of the first people to buy the headset. At the store he met Cook, and got him to sign the back of his iPhone and his Vision Pro's box. Olisker was wrong. 'I use it much less than I expected,' said the 20-year-old YouTuber. But he doesn't regret the purchase. He still loves watching movies with his Vision Pro, especially 3-D films like the recent 'Metallica,' sold as an immersive experience of the heavy-metal band's 'stadium-filling live shows.' 'It feels like you're at the concert,' he said. He's even figured out how to get through the movies without the weight of the Vision Pro bothering him: 'I lie in bed.' Write to Joseph Pisani at
