Apple Needs To Release A Cheaper Vision Pro Model To Attract Developers

Apple Vision Pro has been launched in February 2024 (photo: x @danmurrayserter)

JAKARTA - Apple Vision Pro was launched in February 2024, but this product is experiencing difficulties in attracting market attention. With an initial price of 3,500 US dollars (IDR 54.1 million) in the US, most of the subscribers are tech enthusiasts. For Apple, this also means that not many developers are interested in building applications for VisionOS, and maybe only cheaper models can change this situation.

More than a year ago, it was discussed that Apple needed to release a cheaper Vision Pro so that this device could be more accepted by the general public. While it's good to sell premium products targeted at certain audiences, very high prices also hinder developers who are very important for the success of new platforms such as VisionOS.

When Vision Pro launched, Apple announced that around 600 apps and games will be available on the App StorevisionOS from day one. However, in August, the number of native apps on the App StorevisionOS only reached 2,500. This figure does not include iPhone and iPad apps that can be run on Vision Pro in compatibility mode.

According to research firm Appfigures (via the Wall Street Journal), the development of the new Vision Pro app slows down every month. Only 10 applications were introduced to the Vision App Store in September, down from hundreds released in the first two months after the device launch," the firm said.

WSJ talks to some app developers to understand the reasons why most of them don't participate in this platform. There is a consensus that this platform has a small number of users and lacks important features.

"There are only a few developers in a hurry," said Hrafn Thorisson, CEO of game developer VR Aldin Dynamics from Iceland. We wait until we see a better trajectory and when the next device launches."

According to Scott Total, CEO of gaming company VR Combat Waffle Studios, Vision Pro is less attractive to gamers because they don't have a special game controller. I think Apple's presence is very good, but they need to define the goals of this headset," he said.

A software engineer, Rostyslav Aleksieenko, bought Vision Pro in February but sold it six months later. "At first, I was very excited," he said. But this device is not integrated into my life. I quickly ran out of things to do. Then, this device just lay.

Vision Pro also has no apps from critical platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube. According to analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has cut the Estimation of Vision Pro shipments from 800,000 units to 400,000 by 2024.

Despite having interesting technology, most people don't seem willing to pay 3,500 for devices like Vision Pro. This has an impact on developers who don't create apps for VisionOS, which causes users to not find many useful apps on this platform to justify high prices.

Bertrand Neptune, a former member of the Vision Pro team at Apple, believes that the company should fund developers to build key apps for visionOS. This is a step Meta has taken to bring more software to their VR Quest platform.

While many agree with Neptune, many still believe that Apple Vision's platform requires cheaper non-Pro models to attract developers and more users. Unfortunately, the cheaper Apple Vision model is not expected to appear until the end of 2025, and it's not clear if there will be any major interest in Apple Vision at that time. One possible solution is to cut the current price of Vision Pro, although I don't think this will change things at this point.