Cheaper Apple Vision Headset Might Require a Tethered iPhone or Mac

[MacRumors]

Apple could offer a cheaper version of its Apple Vision Pro headset by making the device reliant on a tethered iPhone or Mac, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Last week, a report claimed that Apple had suspended work on the second-generation Apple Vision Pro in order to focus on bringing a cheaper model to market. However, Gurman claims Apple shifted resources to developing a cheaper model even before the Vision Pro was released, and he has now offered some more details on how Apple plans to build a more affordable spatial computing unit.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that a prototype lower-cost headset, codenamed N107, has a narrower field of view compared to Vision Pro.

Apple is also considering making this version more reliant on a tethered Mac or iPhone. "That would let Apple save money on the processing power and components needed to make the Vision Pro a fully standalone product," he argues.

Gurman says that Apple is still struggling to bring the cost down while retaining key features. But if it can, Apple plans to launch the cheaper headset as early as the end of 2025. Indeed, this has been the plan "since before the Vision Pro was unveiled last year," he adds.

Gurman doubled down on his reaction to last week's report by noting that Apple has no plans to abandon the high end of the headset market, and while it's "less of a priority," Apple is still working on a second-generation Vision Pro, codenamed N109.

This model is said to look similar to the current Vision Pro, but has a faster processor and improvements to the external cameras. The company reportedly plans to release the Apple Vision Pro 2 by the end of 2026 at the earliest.

Article Link: Cheaper Apple Vision Headset Might Require a Tethered iPhone or Mac

 

[Lepton]

Tether to an iPhone? I can live with that! But OMG the battery life

 

[amaze1499]

Tethered. A word you will never ever see in any Apple ad. Ever.

 

[gpat]

Well, that was predictable. Bring it!
I just want an expansive display for my Mac.

 

[toobravetosave]

just go outside and look around and save the entire cost + tax

 

[usersince86]

Ugh. Tough to get the balance of great, high-quality display and features at a "cheap" price I guess. But still...

Maybe they should have released a cheaper, "lower quality" version of the vision first, then made the "pro" version if it caught on. Anyway...

 

[Etc_]

Tethered. A word you will never ever see in any Apple ad. Ever.

"We created a new way to connect your iPhone to Vision Non-Pro and we call it Magic Link."

 

[fatTribble]

So you can upgrade the processor for your Vision by upgrading your iPhone?
Sounds great to me! 🥰🤓

 

[timber]

This certainly helps but their greatest challenge still is coming up with compelling use cases.

Perhaps a really cheaper price will compel people to use it as a giant screen.

 

[nikaru]

This certainly helps but their greatest challenge still is coming up with compelling use cases.

Perhaps a really cheaper price will compel people to use it as a giant screen.

Yeah, but use cases are created by developers through their apps. In order for developers to create apps for Vision Pro, there should be some sufficiently wide user base to justify the time and the effort. If Apple sends 5,000 free units to the 5,000 top developers in the App Store, and further provide extensive online training for the developers kits and APK, apps will start poping out one by one at a very high rate. Currently, developers cant justify the expense of buying a Vision Pro, let alone dedicated hundreds of hours to port their apps and take advantage of the new functionality the hardware has to offer.

 

[BradGD]

So tethered to the battery pack and the phone? And you'll probably need a second battery pack to keep your phone from dying.

 

[antonrg]

This is hilarious 😂 and people will pay for it!

 

[nikaru]

- Remove expensive CNC machined aluminium and use plastic.
- Remove the external display and glass front.
- Remove battery and storage case from the box.
- Remove M1 chip and let the iPhone handle all the compute power needed.
=
Vision for less than 1000$

 

[gleepskip]

This is hilarious 😂 and people will pay for it!

It's not as hilarious as people paying $4000 for the AVP.

 

[mozumder]

If it can be tethered to an iPhone, it can be tethered to a Mac.

we now have our next Cinema Display!

 

[DaniTheFox]

…

That‘s what I expexted from the beginning. But I hope not only from the iPhone 15 Pro up.

 

[Rychiar]

- Remove expensive CNC machined aluminium and use plastic.
- Remove the external display and glass front.
- Remove battery and storage case from the box.
- Remove M1 chip and let the iPhone handle all the compute power needed.
=
Vision for less than 1000$

Do you know how hot this thing runs? It needs the glass and aluminum to stay cool. The greatest cost is the screens

 

[arkitect]

So if the screen is so fabulous as people claim, let me connect it to my Mac.

As a work tool to replace an Apple Display — priced accordingly — I'd buy.

 

[gusping]

Well, that was predictable. Bring it!
I just want an expansive display for my Mac.

I will be interested when it is light enough to wear for long sessions and is as clear as an actual 4k monitor. We are a long way off currently.

 

[marcozs]

- Remove expensive CNC machined aluminium and use plastic.
- Remove the external display and glass front.
- Remove battery and storage case from the box.
- Remove M1 chip and let the iPhone handle all the compute power needed.
=
Vision for less than 1000$

It’s already available…

Meta Quest 3: New Mixed Reality VR Headset - Shop Now | Meta Store

Discover the latest VR headset from Meta - the Meta Quest 3. With a diverse category of VR games and new mixed reality, experience the metaverse like never before.

www.meta.com

 

[wikiverse]

The Vision Pro is a monitor. That's it. It is, at-best, a monitor with built-in media consumption capabilities, like a TV, but without native apps from the most popular streaming services like Netflix or Amazon.

If you're tethering it to a mac or a phone, then you can just use the screen on the phone or mac. Even an iPad as a second monitor using Sidecar is still a cheaper, lightweight, more portable option, and one that can actually be used as a stand-alone device.

The problem with Vision Pro isn't the price. It's a product with no real use-case.

I'm surprised Apple haven't just created a Samsung Galaxy VR style headset where you just drop a super-spec iPhone Pro Max into it.

 

[neuropsychguy]

This is hilarious 😂 and people will pay for it!

Apple hopes people will pay for it. That's one of it's goals as a company -- make products and services people will pay for. So if people will pay, that's great news.

Be aware that this device really isn't what people at Apple wants most people to buy. That's coming out 5 or so years from now. The AVP is the tech demo. The next, less expensive version is to get some more people on board with 'Apple Vision'. After that are the products that more people will likely buy.

 

[MagicTorch]

Narrower field of view 🥲

 

[theluggage]

With all of those expensive optics (& that custom R1 coprocessor which will presumably still be needed), I'd have thought that the cost of including a standard M-series SoC and some flash would be pretty negligible...

My problem with the Apple Vision concept is that Apple's proposed "serious" uses - augmented reality for translation etc., replace your computer screen, immersive video conferencing - require you to spend 8 hours a day with the thing strapped to your head and won't really be practical until technology exists to make it an order of magnitude smaller and lighter. In a business environment there are always going to be a couple of colleagues who won't/can't wear goggles (some for valid reasons, others out of stubbornness - and good luck telling the two apart).

 

[vegetassj4]

Can someone say d.d.d.d.d.dongle?