Apple unveiled the Vision Pro mixed reality headset as its “one more thing” reveal during WWDC 2023. With a US$3,500 price tag, prohibitively expensive would probably be the simplest way to describe it. But if you remember the earliest rumours about the product, the company’s plan wast to follow up with a more affordable alternative. It looks like that may be exactly what’s happening after all, according to a recent report.
As part of the Bloomberg Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman says that “Apple is currently planning a release of the cheaper model for as early as the end of 2025”. This gives it just under a two year gap between the Apple Vision Pro and whatever this more mainstream model will end up being called. Some predictions by Gurman include simply the Vision, or even Vision One.
At any rate, as you’d expect from a more mainstream model, this more affordable headset will likely come with lots of compromises. But Gurman claims that the see through mode that Apple calls EyeSight won’t be one of them. The display and built-in chipset may see a toning down to some extent, and the built-in speakers may be removed to necessitate the use of a pair of AirPods. Either way, it’s unclear yet if this will end up being another mixed reality headset, or if the iPhone maker will lean in on the augmented reality side as previously rumoured.
On another note, Gurman also notes that Apple is already working on the next generation Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Beyond getting a faster processor, it’s unclear as of yet what this next headset will provide. But it’s a sign that the company intends to keep an iPhone-like release cycle where a Pro model will get all the latest bells and whistles, with a base model that is toned down to keep costs lower. No word on when this will be ready, but it will probably be awhile.
(Source: Bloomberg)
