Apple is reportedly shifting gears in the augmented reality and virtual reality market, focusing development on a cheaper model of its Vision Pro headset. This shift comes as the tech giant seeks to capture a wider audience with a competitively priced alternative against its $3,500 Vision Pro.
According to a report by The Information, Apple is currently working on a more affordable model of the Vision Pro headset that could reach markets some time in late 2025. From there, Apple’s chances of competing against what Meta and others have to offer through their Quest series devices will be much stronger. A projected price tag for this new device could hit $1,500—close to the price of a high-end iPhone.
International Expansion and Software Updates
This development comes off the back of Apple announcing its first international expansion for the Vision Pro—slated to land in eight new countries in the near future—as well as giving a sneak peek into what’s coming in visionOS 2, its bid to revamp the user experience of all AR/VR devices.
While Apple seems quite optimistic about the more affordable Vision Pro, the development process is not all plain sailing. The company is earlier reported to be struggling to bring down the cost of the device without sacrificing a whole lot at the altars of user experience. Weight reduction is one of the critical areas of focus since it makes the headset lighter. That was among the very significant complaints with the original Vision Pro.
Shelving the Second-Generation Vision ProSEND
Apple had intended to sell a number of models under the Vision brand, including at least one second-generation, high-end model called the Vision Pro. According to The Information, though, Apple has put everything on hold and is now focusing resources and manpower on the cheaper device. Sources have said that second-gen Vision Pro staffing has slowly reduced in the last year, as the company shifted focus on to the cheaper device.
Whereas the work on that second-generation Vision Pro has been paused, The Information believes it might be revisited in the future. But for now, one thing is obvious: Apple’s massive focus lies in the Vision Pro—getting a more Reachable, Affordable, and Attainable headset out in the market and ensuring broad positioning within the fast-growing augmented reality/virtual reality space.
The decision by Apple to bring out a more affordable Vision Pro headset is, therefore, one of the strategic decisions it has ever made, as it struggles to increase its consumer base and meet market demands. This change in strategy would, therefore clearly place Apple in a great position against competitors and more so, a better-equipped stance at that, on matters AR/VR, even though the engineering challenge this presents might be difficult to surmount.
