Apple reportedly cut production of major product amid rock bottom sales
When Apple wins, it wins big. From its humble roots back in Steve Jobs' garage, Apple has ballooned to be just one of three companies to boast a market capitalization of over $4 trillion. Even though it hasn't quite reached the highs of Nvidia crossing the $5 trillion milestone, it still has the honor of being the first US public company to have been valued over $1 trillion.
As Apple continues to churn out banger after banger, how many of you are reading this very article on an iPhone or MacBook right now?
The company's storied history has many innovative highs and lows, but for every iPhone 6 and OG iPod, we've had misses like the iPod Hi-Fi only living for 554 days, the U2 iPod being hated, and Apple Intelligence being branded the 'worst' thing the company has ever released.
Speaking of Apple's rare stumbles, there are further reports that the Vision Pro hasn't been the certified hit the tech giant was hoping for.
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As noted by the Financial Times, market research firm IDC claims that Apple will sell just 45,000 Vision Pro headsets in the fourth quarter of 2025.
It could have something to do with the eye-watering $3,499 price tag, but even for those who have the cash lying around, they don't seem to be convinced by the mixed reality headset. Then again, when YouTubers are making their own DIY versions, can you blame them?
The FT points out how the China-based Luxshare stopped producing new Vision Pro headsets at the start of 2025, and although it's currently sold in 13 countries, there are apparently no plans to roll sales out beyond this.
This comes after IDC says Luxshare only managed to shift 390,000 units during the product's 2024 launch. If that wasn't enough, marketing intelligence group Sensor Tower suggests that Apple is slashing its digital advertising budget for the Vision Pro by more than 95% in key markets, including the USA and the UK.
The outlet says there's been a "muted consumer demand" for a product that was already supposed to test Apple, reminding us that the final quarter of 2025 includes the lucrative Christmas period.
Given that Apple boss Tim Cook is said to have something of an 'obsession' with augmented reality glasses, don't expect Apple to completely abandon this kind of tech anytime soon.
Looking at what went wrong, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring said: "We can say the cost, form factor and the lack of VisionOS native apps are the reasons why the Vision Pro never sold broadly."
Others have complained about the device's hefty weight and lack of comfort when wearing it for extended periods. Couple this with a middling battery life, even the release of the upgraded M5 version, boasting a more powerful chip and longer lifespan, in October 2025, might not be enough to save it.
Instead, there's talk about a cheaper and lower-spec version launching in 2026.
Despite the overall market for VR headsets apparently falling by 14% in the past year, it's dominated by Meta’s Quest headsets, holding nearly 80% of the market. While they might not have the same advanced features as the Vision Pro, a $370 price tag seems more than enough to lure consumers in.
Still, it's said that Meta has also massively scaled back its digital marketing spend.