(Yicai Global) June 7 -- Apple’s recently launched mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, has not solved the industry's long-standing issues such as cost performance, according to industry insiders.

Priced at USD3,499, the Vision Pro is not for the average person, and most of its super performance shown at the launch event has no exclusive advantages, Fu Liang, a veteran industry observer, told Yicai Global. The event was more for the developer community, he added.

The US tech giant unveiled the Vision Pro on June 5 during this year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, its annual information technology event, which is being held this week.

Apple's augmented reality products have not solved key problems, including the industry's cost issues and target groups, and the firm did not do well at the conference, said Zhu Mingming, founder and chief executive of Chinese MR glasses developer Rokid.

The Vision Pro does not support virtual reality games, abandoning VR products' most significant potential consumer segment, noted Liu Weihua, founder of extended reality sector data platform Nweon. The device mainly focuses on film and television, and other mildly interactive entertainment, which is disappointing, Liu added.

Apple is no longer what it was, Zhu pointed out, adding that China can also make top-notch products and even lead the next revolution.

The industry is also disappointed that Apple did not provide any update on its progress in artificial intelligence during the WWDC. Because of the popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT, the industry is paying close attention to the tech giants, including Apple, Microsoft, and Google. 

Apple did not present its AI-generated content layout but deliberately avoided or downplayed the AI theme, said Li Zhifei, CEO of Chinese AI and voice interaction technology developer Mobvoi Information Technology.

The company may still be laying out a deeper strategy, but it is so mysterious that Apple is becoming less and less influential in the AI field, gradually moving away from the first tier of AIGC developers, Li added.

“The metaverse, which focuses on immersive experiences, should belong to an era five or 10 years from now,” Li pointed out. “Currently, large models and AIGCs dominate.”

Editor: Martin Kadiev