Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro have reached 160,000 to 180,000 units, but demand for the headset is not growing

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared an analysis of pre-orders for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which shows that the company was able to sell 160 000 to 180 000 units during the first weekend. The instant sellout and subsequent extension of delivery times to 5-7 weeks initially seemed like a positive signal. However, the unchanged delivery time of 48 hours after opening a pre-order indicates a rapid decline in demand after the initial surge from fans and advanced users.

This pattern contrasts with popular iPhone models, which not only sell out instantly but also show a steady increase in delivery time 24-48 hours after pre-orders open, indicating a steady increase in demand. In contrast, demand for the Vision Pro seems to be declining rapidly after the initial sale.

Supply chain reports, such as those from assembler Luxshare, indicate plans to increase production during the Lunar New Year (February 10) due to higher than expected demand for Vision Pro. However, this will be more a reflection of ongoing efforts to improve production efficiency than an indicator of exceeding demand expectations.

Reaching Vision Pro shipments of 500,000 units this year is entirely possible, but the rapid drop in demand after the first sale requires careful monitoring of market demand. Given Apple’s user base of more than 1.2 billion active users, only about 0.007% need to purchase Vision Pro on pre-order to sell out completely, which underscores the device’s status as a niche product.