The Apple Vision Pro is a serious candidate for our yearly dead tech list, 2026 edition, even though the new year has only just started.
Apple Vision Pro Struggles in Early 2026
The Augmented Reality (AR) headgear from the iPhone manufacturer has not precisely died yet. To paraphrase Monty Python, the Apple Vision Pro, which retails for $3,499, has been in resting production at Luxcorp, its Chinese manufacturer. According to International Data Corp. analysts, Apple only sold 4,500 headsets globally during the Christmas quarter of 2025, including the new M5 chip version, which is purportedly manufactured in Vietnam.
In contrast, experts estimate that fewer than a tenth of the half-million Vision Pros were sold in 2024, the year of its introduction.
Marketing Decline and Industry Context
A critical Financial Times article claims that while Apple does not disclose Vision Pro sales numbers, the corporation has essentially given up on promoting the device. The device’s digital marketing has decreased by 95%. You may wish to snap a screenshot if you come across a banner advertisement for a Vision Pro online: This is a beast that is becoming more and more endangered.
What Caused the Apple Vision Pro to Malfunction?
To be fair to Apple, declining sales are a concern for the whole AR/VR industry, not to mention the entire retail market in the United States.
In the first half of 2025, sales of AR/VR headsets fell by 14%, according to Counterpoint analysts. Given that Meta’s Quest 3S VR headset just cut its price to $250, the Vision Pro is obviously on the luxury end of the market. When customers are feeling the pressure from increasing costs for basics like food and healthcare insurance, luxury goods are often the first to go.
Competing Alternatives
You could be quite tempted to spend half the price of the Vision Pro on the Samsung Galaxy XR headset ($1,800), even if you are all for bulky AR headsets with battery packs. Even while the Vision Pro hands-on experience is great, there is not yet a “killer app” that is essential for the platform. Your Mac is your workhorse; the iPhone is a necessary status symbol; the iPad enables you to live your most creative life; and the VisionPro—well, what does it do?
As this very Black Mirror-like product presentation demonstrated, the business has battled from the beginning to explain why consumers should desire a Vision Pro. At the very least, it seems sensible to put those advertising funds on hold. Banner advertising that show the Vision Pro’s EyeSight display eyeballs may discourage those of us who find it unsettling from purchasing one.
The Future Lies in Apple’s AI Glasses
Apple does not have no idea what to do in this area despite disappointing sales and production pauses. On the contrary, a well-sourced report from October 2025 claims that the company is already encouraging staff to switch from its less expensive Vision Pro version to a lighter, less expensive model of smart glasses that will rival Google’s upcoming Android XR glasses and Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban Display.
That makes a lot more sense. The $800 Meta Ray-Bans were one of the most talked-about product debuts of 2025, despite a rather embarrassing Mark Zuckerberg demo failure. Both early adopters and detractors expressed satisfaction, and investors rushed to purchase stock in the Ray-Bans manufacturer.
Apple’s Path Forward
The Meta Ray-Bans, which also happen to be Ray-Bans and do not make you seem like a geek, fulfilled numerous augmented reality promises that have been with us since Google Glass (which also took a long time to officially fade out) with live translation, directions, and smart specs. (Well, until you are inside, in which case the cool shades brighten to expose, regrettably, heavy frames.)
Apple is a corporation that recognizes the value of design that appeals to non-nerdy consumers. Therefore, do not write off the producer of the huge, expensive, and geeky Vision Pro just yet. It is possible that Apple may recover from this sales downturn and surprise us with a product like the Vision Air, which has lightweight specifications and can attract over 45,000 new consumers per quarter.
🕶️ AR/VR Market Highlights
- Apple Vision Pro Price: $3,499
- Sales Q4 2025: 4,500 units globally
- AR/VR Industry Trend: 14% decline in first half of 2025
- Competing Headsets: Meta Quest 3S $250, Samsung Galaxy XR $1,800
- Marketing Decline: 95% reduction in digital campaigns
🔮 Apple AR Glasses Outlook
- Vision Pro Replacement: Lighter, less expensive smart glasses in development
- Competitors: Google Android XR, Meta AI Ray-Ban Display
- Projected Consumers: 45,000+ per quarter
- Focus: Design appealing to non-nerdy users
- Goal: Establish an accessible AR platform with AI integration
