Apple recently entered a new product category but with a product placed towards the higher end of it. The $3,500 Apple Vision Pro is very sophisticated and very expensive. Arguably launched to begin tailoring the mixed reality experience for the masses, all of us have been hoping for a cheaper headset to come, and it looks like Apple still has plans for one.
Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On Newsletter, reported that Apple still has plans for a more affordable Vision headset. He had previously talked about a more affordable Apple headset, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has recently reported the same. It appears those plans are still in place.
Cheaper Apple Vision VR headset by 2025
Gurman says Apple still has plans for a cheaper headset, a non-pro Vision, and it’s aiming to have it in the market by the end of 2025.
Gurman noted the areas in which Apple could potentially cut costs to lower the price of the headset. He wrote, “Apple could also probably get away with a simpler headband design, require AirPods for spatial audio instead of the strap with speakers in the Vision Pro, move to a physical versus automatic IPD — distance between eye pupils — adjustment and remove features like the 3D camera. Combined with a more refined production process, economies of scale and a cheaper frame, I’d imagine Apple could knock several hundred dollars off the price.”
At the same time, there are some areas Gurman believes Apple won’t compromise in, saying “But there are a few areas I believe Apple will not compromise on in a cheaper Apple Vision. The external screen, known as EyeSight, to show a wearer’s eyes, as well as the eye- and hand-tracking system, are as core to the Apple Vision as a touchscreen is to an iPhone. I would expect a cheaper model to keep those features.”
The headset is set for a late 2025 launch for now, which means we’ll see at least three iterations of the best iPhone before it arrives. Apple is already working on a second-generation Vision Pro, so we’ll have multiple offerings in the future.