Category: Apple

Apple's Vision Pro Problem Is a Pricing Problem

The Vision Pro isn’t failing because the technology isn’t ready. It’s failing because Apple priced it for a market that doesn’t exist yet.

At $3,499, the device sits in a peculiar no-man’s land — too expensive for curious consumers, too limited for enterprise workflows that still run on Windows desktops and Citrix. Apple has historically been willing to create a market through sheer force of product conviction, but that strategy requires volume, and volume requires a price point that doesn’t demand a second mortgage.

Compare this to the AirPods trajectory. First generation: $159. Considered expensive for wireless earbuds at the time. But $159 is an impulse purchase for a meaningful percentage of iPhone owners. $3,499 is not. It’s a deliberate purchase with a spreadsheet attached.

The technology is legitimately impressive. Eye tracking that replaces a mouse. A display resolution that makes text actually readable. Passthrough that doesn’t feel like a surveillance camera strapped to your face. These are hard problems, and Apple solved them. But solving hard problems at a price nobody will pay is an engineering accomplishment, not a product launch.

The second-generation device — whenever it arrives — will need to land below $2,000 to start building the install base that attracts developers, which attracts apps, which makes the case for the consumer. That’s the flywheel. Right now it’s not spinning.