To gauge public interest in the Vision Pro, Apple’s high-tech and expensive VR headset, I visited an Apple store in central London on the day of its UK and Europe launch. Unlike past product launches where people camped outside overnight, there was only a small group, mostly men, waiting for the store to open. This shift is partly due to the convenience of pre-orders, but it also highlights the ongoing question of whether VR headsets can move beyond tech enthusiasts and become mainstream.
Apple aims to make the Vision Pro a product for everyday use, enhancing activities like home videos and panoramic photos. They refer to this as “spatial content,” a term not widely adopted outside Apple. The hefty price tag of £3,499 has drawn some criticism.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, has been observing Apple closely. Meta’s Quest 3, available in the UK since 2023, focuses on “multi-tasking” and includes features like multiple screens for web browsing, YouTube, and Messenger. It also costs less than £500. Meta’s latest ad shows a man using a Quest 3 for practical tasks like building a crib, emphasizing its utility.
Despite the crowded VR market, no headset has achieved mainstream success. Research firm IDC predicts fewer than 500,000 units of the Vision Pro will be sold this year. Meta, which doesn’t release sales data, is estimated to have sold around 20 million Quest units worldwide. VR headsets are far from being as common as tablets or mobile phones, and many sold devices end up abandoned due to a lack of engaging content, creating a “chicken and egg” situation for developers.
Alan Boyce of DragonfiAR advises early Vision Pro adopters to be patient as more content becomes available. The Quest 3 has an advantage with its established library of games and virtual desktop capabilities. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo notes that Apple products often start slow, similar to the iPhone, which only became mainstream with the rise of the App Store.
Using a VR headset involves the physical challenge of wearing a half-kilogram device. Although current headsets are lighter, they are still not comfortable for extended periods, and VR sickness remains a concern. Companies have introduced features like “teleporting” and movement simulations to mitigate this, but these solutions are not perfect.
Tech giants like Meta and Apple envision a future where mixed or augmented reality becomes the norm. Meta’s grand plan for the Metaverse has quieted, but there is a belief that something will eventually replace our phones, possibly VR headsets. Future devices may look more like glasses rather than bulky headsets.
Meta’s Melissa Brown believes the Quest 3 could eventually replace smartphones, though CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a more cautious view, stating that new technology generations don’t immediately replace the old ones. During my visit to the Apple store, the initial customer was there for a charger and seemed surprised by the staff’s enthusiasm. However, several customers left with Vision Pro purchases, suggesting there is interest, though it’s unclear how widespread it will become.
