In February 2024, Apple started to ship its VR headset, the Apple Vision Pro, with its two Sony 1.3" 4K OLED microdisplays. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a respected Apple analyst, the market reaction to Apple's HMD was much lower than expected, and Apple decided to slash its production plan from 800,000 units in 2024 to about 400,000.
The Vision Pro has been shipping in the US only, but it seems the company prefers to cut production rather than start to ship the headsets globally - a sign that it does not expect demand to be higher outside of the US. According to Kuo, Apple is likely to cancel its plan to release a new version in 2025.
This isn't a huge surprise. The Vision Pro is highly expensive at $3,500 - and it has major problems with ergnomoics, battery life and use cases.
According to earlier reports, Apple actually had plans to order only 300,000 units of Sony's OLED microdisplays in 2024, enough for only 150,000 headsets. Regardless of the exact numbers, it was never likely that Apple's device will enjoy high sales, with such a high price tag.
The low demand for Apple's Vision Pro is not good news for Sony, but it could be good news for companies interested in Sony's displays, as it will free up its capacity for other projects. Maybe that's why Sony is in talks with Samsung, and is also developing its own high-end HMD based on 4K microdisplays. In August 2023, Sony officially introduced its 1.3" 4K ECX344A display, targeting VR and AR devices. The new display costs just over $1,000 USD (but volume orders will be lower - it is estimated that Apple pays around $350 for each panel).
