Less than a year after its launch, Apple is starting to realize that the vast majority of people don’t want its Vision Pro augmented reality headset. According to The Information, the company has indicated to its suppliers that there will be no version 2 of the Vision Pro. Instead, it is moving towards a cheaper AR/VR headset. Saz release is planned for 2025.
The high-end Vision Pro headset was launched in February 2024. Although it received mostly positive reviews, it has its flaws. And that’s not to mention its price of $3,499 ($4,800 if you buy the most powerful version).
Apple’s new AR/VR headset would retain the high-resolution screen, but the quality of the other components would be significantly reduced. Above all, one of the objectives is to lighten the new helmet by at least 33%.
How to put good components in an eyeglass frame?
Bloomberg also reported that Apple is considering releasing a cheaper headset, in a price range between $1,500 and $2,500. Apple has also “redoubled its efforts” to develop its own AR glasses according to the press agency. Mark Gurman wrote that “a launch date around 2027 has been mooted.” But he added that no one at Apple thought that was a realistic goal.
According to Bloomberg, part of the problem is that Apple moved staff who were working on the AR glasses project to work on a cheaper AR/VR headset.
Another problem is that building smart glasses requires designing a very small shell. And so it’s not really easy to integrate a large amount of technology into eyeglass frames.
The example of Meta?
Apple’s connected glasses have been in the works for several years. The project was started and interrupted several times.
Meta, for his part, did quite well with his Ray Ban glasses. So there’s no reason why Apple can’t do this too.
If the Vision Pro headset did not have the success expected by Apple, could cheaper versions also fail to find an audience? If so, Apple might decide that mixed reality… isn’t worth it.
Source : “ZDNet.com”
