Apple has suspended the development of a second-generation Vision Pro headset in favor of working on a cheaper headset, according to a report from The Information.
Apple had been expected to divide and conquer, developing two new headsets, a “Pro” model and a lower-cost standard model. However, the company is said to have pushed the next Vision Pro headset to a back burner, assigning fewer employees to the next-generation Vision Pro project.
Apple first focused on reducing the cost of the first-generation models by pushing down the cost of the first-gen model’s components as well as creating an improved display for the next version. However, the report says the company has informed at least one component supplier that it has suspended work on the second-generation Vision Pro. Meanwhile, work on a lower-cost “Vision” headset with fewer features continues.
Work on the cheaper Vision headset, codenamed “N109” reportedly began in 2022. Apple is targeting a selling price of around $1,600 for the “budget” model or about the price of a top-end iPhone. Apple was targeting the end of 2024 as the release date for the lower-cost Vision, but as of earlier this year, there was not a firm prototype. The Cupertino firm is reportedly struggling to reduce the new model’s cost without removing too many features. The release date is now expected to slip even past the revised end-of-2025 target date.
Apple is said to be working to retain the Vision Pro’s high-end display components in the lower-cost model. Those components are among the most expensive that make up the device. While Apple is working to keep the display it is expected to make due with fewer cameras, smaller speakers, and a simpler headband for the new non-Pro Vision. Apple is also working to make the new headset lighter than the Vision Pro, by at least one-third.
One Vision Pro key component provider apparently cut production by 50% in May after being told by Apple that it had weaker demand than expected. Information from that supplier indicates that only 500,000 or so Vision Pro units have rolled off of the production line this year, with no plans for more through August.
Apple could still resume work on a second-generation Vision Pro headset sometime in the future.