Apple is already working on an economic version of the Vision Pro: what will it be like?
Apple is already working on an economic version of the Vision Pro: what will it be like?
To lower the price, Apple will be forced to make numerous sacrifices. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tried to guess which ones.
After launching the $3,500 Vision Pro headset, Apple is already working on a cheaper model to make this new product category accessible to more people.
Apple is already working on a cheaper version of the headset that will allow it to sell more units. The name Vision Pro already implies that there is a non-Pro version in the works, which will presumably be called Apple Vision or Apple Vision One .
Given the expensive nature of the technology used in the Vision Pro, it’s important to understand how Apple could reduce costs. It will not be an easy task to do it and make money at the same time, as the $3,499 price of the Vision Pro is at or close to the cost of production
writes Mark Gurman, signature of Bloomberg, in the latest episode of his newsletter PowerOn.
In short, by definition, a budget model will impose sacrifices on the starry specifications and features that we first saw at the beginning of this mede. So, what will be the differences between this hypothetical Apple Vision One and the Pro that will go on sale next year? Gurman tries to speculate.
The Vision Pro’s three most expensive components are the camera and sensor array, the two Apple Silicon chips, and the micro-OLED 4K virtual displays . For a non-Pro model, Apple could probably use lower quality screens, a similar quality chip to iPhones or an older Mac chip, and fewer cameras for lower performance.
Apple could also opt for a simpler design, requiring the user to wear a pair of AirPods for spatial audio, rather than integrating the speakers directly into the headset. It could also move to a physical rather than automatic interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment system and remove features like the 3D camera. Combined with a more refined manufacturing process, economies of scale, and a cheaper mount, I’d imagine Apple could bring the price down by several hundred dollars.
However, there are some areas where I think Apple won’t compromise on a cheaper model than the Apple Vision. The external screen, called EyeSight , to show the wearer’s eyes, as well as the eye and hand tracking system, are as critical to Apple Vision as a touchscreen is to an iPhone. I would expect a cheaper model to retain these features.
Gurman concludes by announcing that Apple’s first affordable XR headset could go into production in 2025.
