Apple’s WWDC keynote revealed that the Vision Pro will ship internationally at long last, as well as unveiling visionOS 2.0, but the cost of the headset remains too prohibitive for many to try it.
While we’ve long expected Apple to attempt to develop a cheaper alternative to its VR/AR headset, a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has confirmed the challenges it’s currently facing in doing so.
Speaking in his Power On newsletter, Gurman says the company is “aiming to sell something for $1,500 to $2,000”, a steep decrease from the $3,499 Apple charges for the current version.
The challenges of a cheaper Vision headset
Gurman says the headset, a potential ‘Apple Vision’ without the Pro moniker, is codenamed N107 and Apple is hoping to bring it to market as early as the end of 2024.
Still, it’s struggling to do so because it would involve removing features. Gurman specifically points to the EyeSight display, as well as the internal VR screens as features that could be removed or downgraded respectively, as well as a less powerful chip and lower-quality augmented reality passthrough cameras.
Gurman also points out that even at this price range, it’d be significantly more expensive than anything offered by Meta, but prototypes have been built which offer a narrower field of view than the existing Vision Pro.
Apple is also working on a second-generation Vision Pro, codenamed N109, with a “faster processor and improvements to external cameras”, according to Gurman. Apple also wants to make the next generation lighter and more comfortable than the existing model, but it’s expected in 2026 at the earliest, while the rumored AR glasses are aiming for 2027 – but Gurman’s sources feel that could be optimistic.