Apple’s much-awaited Vision Pro headset is a beta device to see if it can emerge from its iPhone dependence, according to a leading analyst.

The Vision Pro, which was unveiled this week at Apple’s WWDC event, is aimed at developers with immersive use cases geared towards productivity, enterprise, and entertainment.

Anisha Bhatia, Senior Technology Analyst at GlobalData, said: “Apple’s 34 million+ active developer community will be key here, as will be cross compatibility with apps from iPhone, iPad, and MacBook platforms. This headset is expected to boost demand for associated augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) games, apps, and services, a category growing in importance to Apple’s bottom line.

“Apple is marketing the headset as an extended display – hence the name Vision Pro – steering away from any mention of the Metaverse, which Meta has seized in recent times. This is a first-gen product, and Apple is playing a long-term game. The availability of Disney’s huge content library on the Vision Pro for a full immersive experience is a plus, as is the alliance with Unity for 3D content. VR and AR headset sales and active headset engagement have been disappointing, but Apple is sitting on a pile of cash and can attract early adopters. GlobalData forecasts annual revenues from AR headsets to reach more than $30 billion by 2030, making this a market ripe for innovation.

“The Vision Pro’s $3,499 sticker price will inhibit adoption, but Apple is not looking to make money off this product just yet. Apple’s entry into this segment will garner mainstream attention for mixed reality hardware, the likes of which only Apple is capable of. The Vision Pro is Apple’s attempt at cracking open the extended reality (XR) door to create an addressable market with iterations of Vision Pro in the years to come.”