- AR/VR headset sales were down last year
- Some major AR/VR headset brands are pulling back on production this year
- Apple's "Reality Pro" likely won't be announced at WWDC
Sales of AR/VR headset devices have not met market expectations, according to prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst, who published his observations on Medium, believes that Apple’s entry into this market is the “last hope” to convince investors.
The analyst says Sony is cutting down their 2023 production by 20% for PS VR2. Meta’s Quest Pro is also producing “only” around 300,000 units, which is coincidently similar to what Apple is planning with their “Reality Pro” headset for the first year.
On the same plane, China’s leading AR/VR headset shipped less than 40% of expected sales in 2022.
Kuo concludes that this makes for Apple’s “Reality Pro” to carry the AR/VR headset as a gadget on its own to the market. It is the “last hope” for investors to really be convinced that there is a market for AR/VR headset, and that it will grow. Apple adding the gadget to their portfolio will be a sign to the investors that the headset is still a “star product”.
Kuo earlier reported that Apple has delayed the production of the “Reality Pro” headset and that it might delay the announcement from the predicted WWDC one.
