Tianfeng analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warned of a series of hype around Apple's Vision Pro launch, saying that if the helmet fails to sell out when it debuts, then its road to success could be longer than expected.
Apple confirmed on Monday that the U.S. release date for the Apple Vision Pro will be Feb. 2. Following the announcement, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cautioned investors to be cautious about product launches and success expectations.
In a Medium post earlier Tuesday, Kuo initially said that Apple's technology was a great showcase at the product launch, but that "more important information was left out about the positioning of the product and key applications." ”
According to Kuo, the hype for the helmet is expected to mean that the Apple Vision Pro will be sold out at the time of pre-sale or launch, extending delivery times. However, if it is not sold out, Kuo believes that "Vision Pro may take longer to succeed, which will adversely affect the short-term*** performance of Apple and its **chain.« ”
The product's specs and software have been praised as "well above the industry average", which will be "highly praised" by users. Kuo then warned that depending on the clarity and correctness of the product positioning and key applications, the novelty and demand may fade.
It is unclear why Kuo holds this view. The Apple Watch wasn't an incredible success when it was launched, and it still had to go through one or two iterations before it took over the market. Apple can clearly afford to wait for a product that wasn't very successful when it was released, and has done the same with Apple TV+ and the larger HomePod that has been re-released.