Charles Martin
Apple is likely to launch a refreshed Apple Vision Pro headset before a cheaper version of the product arrives, according to a new report.
Apple is believed to be working on "several ideas" for its overall Apple Vision product line and its future intentions. Currently, it is expected that an updated Apple Vision Pro will be the first, ahead of a rumored cheaper "Apple Vision" headset.
The next Apple Vision Pro would likely sport an M5 processor and other internal changes, but would otherwise be very similar to the existing model. It's expected to arrive in late 2025, reports Bloomberg, or the spring of 2026.
For those hoping for a less-expensive version, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that such a device has been pushed back to at least 2027. Kuo reasoned that simply making a cheaper model wouldn't significantly change sales expectations.
Apple is also said to be investigating the "smart glasses" concept as seen from Meta, which has already been shown off in demonstrations.
Apple hopes to increase interest in the Apple Vision Pro by releasing a second-gen headset with the upgraded processor and other improvements right at the start of the M5 chip cycle. It is thought that this second-gen version would be an upgrade to the existing design, but an all-new version is forecast for some time beyond 2027.
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Sure, upgrade the hardware and fix the inevitable hardware issues from v1.0, but I don't believe this will significantly expand the Vision Pro buyer pool. In fact, with the first year surge of sales from early adopters and developers now behind it, what AVP really needs in 2025 is a larger number of compelling use cases for its unique set of capabilities. Based on Mark Gurman's reporting, it seems that Apple may be in a conundrum in that regard: it's very expensive to develop for VisionOS and the buyer pool for software remains very small, which is a very poor combination for attracting developers to the platform. (My answer to that for Apple is pretty simple: you're sitting on a mountain of cash, so make it worth their while to develop for VisionOS in the early going. Development is key to its long-term future.)
My own experience with AVP: I went in for the demo at my Apple Store, and there's no question its capabilities seem like magic and are extraordinarily impressive. In fact, if you haven't done a demo, you really should. But then the question: would I buy this, even if it were priced much lower? No, because I simply don't see a need for it amidst my current iMac/Macbook/iPad hardware. I don't have a compelling use case for it. It may well be that AVP finds much greater success as an enterprise device rather than with average consumers--we shall see. But I remain very excited that Apple brought AVP to market and has the patience and cash necessary to sustain it through these early years. As far as a mass market headset for media consumption, I'm happy to let Meta have that so-called "business" and continue to rack up $1.5 billion in losses every single month selling hardware at a loss with no end in sight.
Interestingly, after I posted the above 2 paragraphs, I received this week's Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, which featured this headline: The Vision Pro's First Killer App Has Arrived. This is an unexpected declaration from Mark who has been more than a little critical of AVP. His article continued:
"Apple markets the Vision Pro as a standalone device (complete with powerful chips and a $3,500 price tag), but one of its best features is the ability to serve as a Mac external monitor. In June, Apple announced plans to make that feature even better, bringing a virtual curved monitor mode to the default size, as well as offering new wide and ultrawide monitor options.
The company released a beta version of these capabilities this past week, and they are a game changer. In my view, the features represent the first true killer app for the Vision Pro. They provide a high-resolution Mac external monitor with what feels like an infinite amount of screen real estate. Before these new modes arrived, I was only using my Vision Pro occasionally to watch movies. Now, I’m back to at least trying to use it every workday.
Apple should be marketing the new ultrawide display modes in a major way. It’s that good."
I just did the demo this last week. It felt like the hardware was “almost there”. I’ll skip v1 and wait for v2, thanks.
When AVP2 come out, AVP1 will be the "budget model".