Apple's Next Vision Pro May Come Sooner Than You Think, but With One Big Letdown
Bloomberg says this next iteration of the Vision Pro will have a new processor that's faster and better equipped to run AI, and a new strap for added comfort. Specifically, the next Vision Pro will reportedly use the M4 chip—the same one in the latest MacBook Airs and Mac mini—as opposed to the M2 in the current generation, and the new strap will be designed specifically to reduce neck strain, which is a welcome goal since anyone who's used the Vision Pro for an extended period has likely noticed that it's heavy.What I'm not seeing on this list of objectives is anything that would connote the next Vision Pro being more affordable. That's because it probably won't be. Supply chain sleuth Ming Chi-Kuo has previously reported that a more affordable headset may not arrive until 2027, which is quite a wait considering the already tepid demand for the current generation. An equally expensive headset will also likely do little to convince more people to buy a Vision Pro. While the Vision Pro has far and away the best hardware and UI of any commercial headset on the market, $3,500 is too big an ask for a gadget that most people just don't need.
At the end of the day, headsets are still considered to be more toys than actual get-shit-done kinds of devices, which makes them a difficult proposition in general, but especially on the premium end. Just ask Meta and its flop of a headset, the Quest Pro. At $1,500 the Quest Pro was geared more toward work and 'professional' uses, which, as you may already know, did not translate to lots of people for several reasons. The vast majority of people out there have had little to no experience with VR or XR headsets, which makes the idea of going from zero to 'pro' pretty daunting. The Vision Pro still hits a lot of the same notes—it's expensive and was marketed somewhat towards productivity.
If nothing else, a new Vision Pro headset—even one that's still too expensive—will signal to the rest of the field that Apple hasn't given up on XR. Is that an expensive and time-consuming way of doing that? Yes, it is. But this is one of the most resourced hardware companies in the world, and I guess if you have the pockets to do it, and you're really committed to XR hardware, it's worth another spin at the XR/AR wheel.
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