Vision Pro development takes a turn as Apple finally does what I said it should have two years ago

The Apple Vision Pro is, for all intents and purposes, a commercial failure. Apple seems to have finally realized that it needs to change how it approaches its headset’s design and development if it plans on ever selling a profitable number of units.

Priorities for what the Apple Vision Pro should ship with are finally changing, though the headset’s future is still unpredictable. If a new model does come out in the future, here’s what it might look like.

Four concepts in development

According to Apple insider Mark Gurman in his newsletter Power On, the Vision Pro team is currently exploring four different possible concepts. The company wants to ship something lighter and more affordable, but how that is achieved is also a point of contention at the moment.

One side wants to follow the example set by the new Meta VR Glasses, which have a puck that contains not just the battery but the processor and storage as well. Others wish to design an all-in-one experience instead, arguing that this would be a much more user-friendly execution.

Making the Apple Vision Pro lighter and more affordable

As mentioned above, Apple wants to finally make a Vision Pro headset that is more affordable. This could potentially come out as a Vision Air, a name that would also fit with Apple’s other goal: making a headset that is lighter, or at least more comfortable.

Gurman reveals that Apple has been experimenting with plastic, titanium, and various other metals and materials. In addition, the company is likely also looking into removing certain features to bring down manufacturing costs.

One such feature that could get removed, though this is just conjecture on my part, is EyeSight. EyeSight is the external display on the headset that shows a render of your face to people talking to you while you’re using the Vision Pro.

When Apple’s headset first came out, former head of Oculus — Hugo Barra — called it an overengineered devkit. Apple can theoretically remove redundant sensors and features like EyeSight to make a more affordable Vision Pro headset.

A release date far into the future

Unfortunately, if such a Vision Pro headset does hit shelves, it likely won’t be for a very long time from now. Gurman says that Apple is focused on its smart glasses for now. A pair of glasses without a display, just like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.

There’s also the question of whether a new Vision Pro headset will ever come out at all. If Apple sees excellent sales for its smart glasses like Meta did with the Ray-Ban models, then the Vision Pro team might get completely dissolved.

Unfortunately, Gurman reckons that even if a new Apple headset does eventually launch, it won’t be until late 2028 or even 2029. By then, the XR market might have evolved to a point where a new Mixed Reality headset might not even make sense, leading to another commercial flop.

I told you so!

When the Apple Vision Pro was having trouble meeting sales expectations, I said that Hugo Barra had been spot on with his analysis. Apple’s foray into this market was a huge moment for XR but the execution left a lot to be desired.

The Vision Pro needs a more affordable variant. More plastic, less glass and aluminum, which also make the headset heavier on top of costing more to manufacture.

Apple stubbornly stuck to its desire for a premium device when it released the second iteration of the Vision Pro with the M5 chip, however, refusing to lower the $3,499 price tag. The results of that decision are in front of us today.

More Apple Vision Pro:

• Apple Vision Pro development is on life support
• The iPhone Duo is what the Apple Vision Pro needed to be

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