Apple’s Marketing Head for Vision Pro Retires

Apple’s head of marketing for its new headset, the Vision Pro, has retired from his role.

Frank Casanova has worked at the Big Tech firm for 36 years, according to a Wednesday (April 24) Bloomberg report. Casanova left the company last week, Bloomberg said, citing an update on his LinkedIn page.

Casanova was involved in expanding the iPhone to new carriers, Bloomberg reported. In 2019, he became Apple’s first head of marketing for augmented reality. He was later tapped to lead marketing for the new headset.

The Vision Pro was launched in February this year, alongside 600 new apps. The rollout of Apple’s first mixed-reality headset drove retailers to unveil their own virtual and augmented reality apps, PYMNTS reported at the time.

For instance, retailer J.Crew debuted its “J.Crew Virtual Closet” app to offer shoppers an immersive 3D experience. Beauty brand e.l.f. Cosmetics introduced the “your best e.l.f.” on the Vision Pro, to “contextualize an assortment” of the brand’s products, and give e.l.f. more control over how its products are interacted with on digital platforms.

Lowe’s also jumped on the bandwagon and unveiled Lowe’s Style Studio for the headset, a VR offering enabling consumers to virtually redesign their kitchen or allowing them to experiment with how fixtures and appliances might fit, all via a user interface driven by eye and hand movements.

Beyond retail, Major League Baseball launched its own Apple Vision Pro app, through which users can interact with statistics, play-by-play analysis and advanced data visualizations. Sports fans also have the option of viewing game through a “digitally rendered MLB ballpark.”

However, despite these offerings, the Vision Pro has not enjoyed widespread adoption. Early adopters cited issues with discomfort and nausea while wearing the device, and the $3,500 price tag makes the headset less accessible to consumers struggling with economic uncertainty.

According to a Tuesday (April 23) report by The Verge, Apple is reportedly scaling back on the production of Vision Pro headsets, citing a Medium post by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Noting weakening demand for the device, the report said that the tech giant now expects to sell only half of its initial forecast.