Mark Gurman didn't sound too excited when he said he expects a cheaper Apple Vision product to launch as early as next year, but it could very well be the model that gets me clicking the button.
Gurman said Apple expects sales of the roughly $2,000 model to double those of the Vision Pro, “but that's not saying much”…
Gurman's newsletter didn't add much to what we already expect.
I expect that A lower-end Vision headset will arrive next year, with a second-generation Vision Pro — with a faster chip — following in 2026. The lower-end model will cost around $2,000 and will likely use an inferior processor and cheaper materials. It also won’t have EyeSight, the cool feature that shows the user’s eyes on the outside of the headset. At a lower price, Apple expects the device to sell at least twice as much as the Vision Pro. But that’s not saying much.
Usually, replacing premium materials like aluminum and glass with cheaper ones — probably plastic — would be a downgrade. But in the case of the Apple Vision, I think it would be the other way around.
One of the biggest complaints about the Vision Pro is that it becomes uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, with some saying they can only wear it for 30-60 minutes at a time.
When I tried it myself, I found that an hour of use was enough to start to feel discomfort.
It was a relatively warm afternoon by UK standards, and I definitely felt the heat, as the upper part of my face was covered by the device. This mirrors my experience with the Meta Quest 2, which also feels warm.
The Vision Pro’s weight is something I also felt after about the first 30 minutes. I use my Quest with the optional rear battery, and while it adds to the overall weight, that mass is evenly distributed between the front and back. The Vision Pro, on the other hand, is very front-heavy, and I definitely started to feel it, especially when looking down and then back up.
If Apple were to ditch EyeSight (which I think is completely pointless anyway), they could ditch the glass on the front of the device, which would greatly improve both the overall weight and balance. And if they swapped out the aluminum body for a plastic one, that would improve both options even more.
Then the move to cheaper materials could be more of an upgrade than a downgrade.
Top comment from LeonardoM
I'd be happy if Apple managed to lower the price by:
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Replacing more expensive materials
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Removing the useless front display
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Making lens adjustments a manual process instead of automatic
On the other hand, Apple should definitely keep the following features:
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Resolution of internal displays
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Processing power
I'll add that they should actually use M4 because it would improve the very limited battery life batteries.
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As for the projected sales, which will only double those of the Vision Pro, of course it’s still a niche product. Even most Vision Pro owners seem to primarily use it for watching movies, which they can do with much greater comfort and a significantly reduced cost with a face monitor like the Viture One XR.
But for me personally, the ability to have multiple monitors in a very portable device has significant appeal. If the company can get the price down to $2k and improve the comfort to the point where it can be used all day, it’s probably going to get my money’s worth.
Would you buy an Apple Vision for $2k less? Please take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo by Bram Van Oost on Unsplash
