Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

The Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen this summer interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the Vision Pro, innovation, Apple Intelligence, and more.

Tim Cook Vision ProImage Credit: Vanity Fair

Cook admitted that the Vision Pro headset is not a mass-market product due to its high price.

"At $3,500, it's not a mass-market product," said Cook. "Right now, it's an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrow's technology today—that's who it's for. Fortunately, there's enough people who are in that camp that it's exciting."

In July, research firm IDC estimated that Vision Pro sales would be under 500,000 units this year.

Cohen said Apple's approach to innovation can be described in four words: "Not first, but best."

"We're perfectly fine with not being first," said Cook. "As it turns out, it takes a while to get it really great. It takes a lot of iteration. It takes worrying about every detail. Sometimes, it takes a little longer to do that. We would rather come out with that kind of product and that kind of contribution to people versus running to get something out first. If we can do both, that's fantastic. But if we can only do one, there's no doubt around here. If you talk to 100 people, 100 of them would tell you: It's about being the best."


Cook said Apple Intelligence makes the experience of using Apple products "profoundly different."

"I think we'll look back and it will be one of these air pockets that happened to get you on a different technology curve," said Cook.

The wide-ranging interview touches on many other topics, including Cook's daily routine, lessons he learned from Steve Jobs, and more.

Bloomberg today also published a story about Cook's role on Nike's board of directors, which he joined in 2005. The report states that Cook supported the appointment of Elliott Hill as Nike's new CEO this month, after the shoe maker experienced declining sales and profit this year. Cook is often spotted wearing Nike shoes, and Apple has partnered with Nike on several products and accessories over the past few decades.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
Apple One Apps Feature 2

Apple One's Best Plan Now Includes Two More Perks For Free

Monday March 10, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Over the last month, the highest-end ‌Apple One‌ Premier plan has gained two additional perks. Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music Apple TV+ Apple Arcade Apple News+ Apple Fitness+...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 mockups idevicehelp

Video Shows iPhone 17 Mockups Based on 'Internal Documents'

Monday March 10, 2025 4:41 am PDT by
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.2 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday March 10, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two. iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features. iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2 With Bug Fixes

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:33 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release...
2016 12 inch macbook feature

Apple Introduced Its Most Controversial MacBook 10 Years Ago Today

Sunday March 9, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple announced the infamous 12-inch Retina MacBook a decade ago today, an experimental new Mac that was as controversial as it was revolutionary. Apple unveiled the 12-inch MacBook on March 9, 2015, at the "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco, California. The event was primarily focused on the Apple Watch, which was being fully detailed ahead of its launch the following month, so the...

Top Rated Comments

CasinoOwl Avatar
20 weeks ago
"Admits" is such a loaded click-bait word to use. Maybe unintentional, but I like Mac Rumors because it's not as cheap and dramatic as the other sites. Was Tim hiding this info, or did we all know it was the case?
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
20 weeks ago
We all knew it wasn't a mass market product. But glad he is acknowledging it.

I am a Vision Pro owner, and I've been decreasingly "excited" about the product line as a whole. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's an amazing device with top of the line technology, but on the other the App Store and content situation has not improved and has gotten worse in some ways. A lot of apps have been abandoned, a lot of critical ones are still missing, and many barely get updates. It's incredibly nice for occassional media consumption (such as immersive video) - of which Apple TV+ still lacks a lot of!

Ultimately, the success of Vision Pro is heavily dependent on the App Store and content. Price as well, but I'd argue it's less so. Content was the inflection point with the iPhone and the iPad. I hoped to see some of that progress, but I am disappointed to not have seen it. And Apple's hostile relationship with developers in recent years is of no help.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sdf Avatar
20 weeks ago
“Admits” truth? What, this was some kind of secret?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spaxxedout Avatar
20 weeks ago
The word admit, per Oxford:

“confess to be true or to be the case, typically with reluctance ('https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&client=safari&sca_esv=abe1209c8be175c1&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIKaXY_s4RsZQSlUj3soKgcScZFoUw:1729525006234&q=reluctance&si=ACC90nz-2feRzoY4yuySkO-aQE81e5KNQe4TXKm0b4QaCuLts-EjM4yYET4Sttr0UQp5l3CNvAXyHI3xQ6r1kEqL-zzdAjeU1paoAzlcCPm0jhOox3De8-E%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTroHd5p-JAxU0VzABHa3TNxQQyecJegQIOhAM').”

There’s nothing being admitted here. Just another example of MR playing to the popularity of Vision Pro dissent for the sake of clicks / engagement.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peripatetic Avatar
20 weeks ago
As someone who has been using Apple Intelligence in 18.1 betas for some time now, I find it laughable that Tim Cook can say with a straight face that he uses Apple Intelligence's email summary feature to quickly get through his email in the mornings. The summary feature, both in the email and in messages, routinely fails to understand the tone of messages, the intent of what was said and by whom, and what is being asked or said in the email or message. There is no way on Earth that Tim Cook, the CEO of one of the most powerful and important companies in the world, is leaving it to Apple Intelligence to help him get through emails without him reading the full emails. If he his doing that, he should be stopped.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bodhitree Avatar
20 weeks ago
What would make the Vision really great was if it actually was a pair of glasses. Unfortunately that product is a decade or more away.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)