Kuo: Apple Vision Pro Unlikely to Receive Major Upgrades Until 2027

[luigismalucelli]

You guys keep comparing the Vision Pro with the iPhone, it's not the same product, it doesn't appeal to the same demographics.

It's like comparing a car to a motorbike.
They both get you from point A to point B, but in vastly different ways.

Macs have an even longer major update, the Touch Bar Macs were introduced in 2016 and they had models with M2 in 2022. 6 years of the same design, the Vision Pro looks like it would be half of it.

I highly doubt that a device that costs $1500 in parts alone will be updated regularly.

 

[klasma]

Tim Cook lacks vision.

Who needs a vision if they can have a vision pro?


Surprise news: Apple has cancelled the Car project … to focus on the Car Pro!

 

[erikkfi]

Odd - now that they've done the R&D, shouldn't this be a time of rapid iteration? Usually when Apple releases a whole new device category, updates are at least annual for a while - and sometimes annual whether the upgrades are justified or not.

 

[mongobongo]

Reminds me of AirPower — the release kept being postponed infinitely until Apple eventually just quietly discontinued it altogether.

But Vision Pro was just released so it's nothing like AirPower

 

[newdeal]

they need to release another one soon with a starting price of $999

 

[daanodinot]

Odd - now that they've done the R&D, shouldn't this be a time of rapid iteration? Usually when Apple releases a whole new device category, updates are at least annual for a while - and sometimes annual whether the upgrades are justified or not.

But those products aren’t $3500. Perhaps they don’t see a way to meaningfully reduce the price (and thus sales) in the next few years.

 

[tomtad]

So no M3 MacBook Pro Vision Pro with 8GB memory (instead of 16GB) any time soon? Darn.

Them not starting work on a new version of the Vision Pro is the main thing. It doesn't have a future and there will be a complete rethink of this category for Apple before any new headset launches.

Personally I think the key is in how people actually are using it, and a lot of the time it's as a monitor to their Mac. So if you're sat at your computer, and you have to have a wire connected to the headset, why can't I plug that into the computer and let that do the work. It will also take significant weight, heat and cost out of the headset as well making it a much more compelling product all round. You could also attach it to an iPhone etc.

I see them having a complete rethink and releasing something much more akin to AirPods that you use as a companions to your other Apple devices. It will also be significantly cheaper and lighter, a slim plastic headset you attach to elevate certain experiences and take off when you don't need it. Packaging this as a standalone computer just isn't the way to go.

I know someone is going to put "but what about latency!" here but that is the thing to figure out. Maybe you have some of the image processing from the cameras in the headset for example.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Odd - now that they've done the R&D, shouldn't this be a time of rapid iteration? Usually when Apple releases a whole new device category, updates are at least annual for a while - and sometimes annual whether the upgrades are justified or not.

The device needs software support.
Hardware is fine

If they don't go ALL IN on first party native "Spatial" apps and have a very compelling and aggressive 3rd party dev story for WWDC this year .... then the AVP will die on the vine.

 

[darngooddesign]

Makes sense to wait for technology advances which will allow it to be better, smaller, and lighter instead of simply a little faster.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But Vision Pro was just released so it's nothing like AirPower

If internal stories are too be believed, it was "force released" by the executives, against strong opposition from many inside Apple who didn't think it was a bun that should come out of the oven yet.

How the launch has gone is proving those folks mostly correct.

 

[miiwtoo]

not a problem if the price doesnt drop, we have meta, samsung, etc,

 

[TigerNike23]

Why does this not sound like a good sign for the product line?

They haven’t even released it outside the US, and they’re already holding off another three years? That’s an eternity in tech.

 

[darngooddesign]

If internal stories are too be believed, it was "force released" by the executives, against strong opposition from many inside Apple who didn't think it was a bun that should come out of the oven yet.

How the launch has gone is proving those folks mostly correct.

Can’t exist in development hell forever; you have to release at some point.

 

[CalMin]

This will be interesting.

The tech for a version 2.0 needs to be developed and that's going to take time. I think no-one would argue that a AVP with less weight, longer battery life, better FOV, and lower cost would sell better, but I think those things are easily said and harder to do. Unless they can make a generational leap in one or more of those areas, then we're not going to see AVP 2.0 any time soon.

Also - Apple has thrown this thing into the market without a killer app. There is no 'must-have' feature yet (otherwise I would have one). They did the same thing with iPad and Apple Watch - and then waited for the developer community to turn these things into devices that folks want to buy. eg, For Apple Watch it was Health and Fitness, and they have leaned into that market vs. the original concept of it being a luxury item like a Rolex (remember the $17k pure gold Apple Watch?).

At some point we will understand what AVP is about and why we need or want one. That will drive the investments and design priorities for a V2.0.

 

[aParkerMusic]

Another Cook misstep.

I'm going to predict Apple will have something in the VR space in the future but it won't be another Vision Pro which will be left to languish and slowly forgotten about over the next few years.

It's dead.

You all are just so entertaining. Keep it up!

In reality, your commentary is purely emotion-based, and many of us are left to wonder why you hate this device so much.

EDIT: Again..why are some people so emotionally driven to hate this device? People are defending totally bonkers doomsday predictions. Seriously disturbing.

 

[till]

I'm increasingly skeptical about a "reduced cost" Vision SE shipping before the Pro 2, because there's just nothing in the Vision Pro aside from the front display that you could reasonably cut. You really really don't want worse displays with fuzzy text.

I feel like it makes far more sense to follow the classic Tim Cook system of just offering the old model for a reduced price, after the new model ships.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Makes sense to wait for technology advances which will allow it to be better, smaller, and lighter instead of simply a little faster.

They “waited” a decade and this is what we got. Now they’re making moves to diminish expectations around the device going forward. Apple’s board will notice that. This is not good news for the company. If Vision is actually the future of computing they should be furiously iterating, not telegraphing the notion that it’s not a hot ticket.

 

[darngooddesign]

I'm increasingly skeptical about a "reduced cost" Vision SE shipping before the Pro 2, because there's just nothing in the Vision Pro aside from the front display that you could reasonably cut. You really really don't want worse displays with fuzzy text.

I feel like it makes far more sense to follow the classic Tim Cook system of just offering the old model for a reduced price, after the new model ships.

You misspelled Steve Jobs.

 

[Marbles1]

There's a definite sense of... they committed to building this product, they did they best they could with a price point around that of a high end MacBook. It followed apple's design conventions. A bit of wow, nicely boxed, shipped on time... and now.... a big deep sigh of relief, but no idea 'what next'. It's still causing some buzz on YouTube and TikTok, but there's not really been much more. iPhone, iPad and even Apple Watch caused big, extended stirs.

This hasn't happened with Apple Vision Pro.

Kudos to apple for following through and getting something released, but the technology just isn't there yet.

If I were given one for free, I'd play with it for a bit, like a toy, but otherwise it'll be sat there like my oculus headsets are.

Apple has a few failures and non-starters; they're not perfect. Ping, News+, Apple Arcade (which is is withering), their wireless charger device. And the Apple Car which has (finally) been cancelled.

Apple needed their VR headset to be an 'iphone moment', where they somehow combine a great UI with technology people actually want. But no one wants to wear a weight on their head. it's the kind of thing that Steve Jobs would have criticised other manufacturers for.

 

[DeepWebinar]

wow this very stupid thing just keeps getting better and better!

 

[Karma*Police]

So basically they’re waiting for Sony to reduce the cost of their micro LED and camera tech and other manufacturers like TSMC to innovate and drive down cost? By then, Meta will have copied all of Apple’s software advantages and will sell comparable hardware for much less. Doesn’t seem like a winning strategy, if this rumor is true.

I’ve always said there’s big potential in VR/AR but we’re a long ways away from mass adoption. Too many hurdles to overcome.

 

[ghanwani]

Stop listening to Kuo and listen to me instead.

Apple Vision Pro unlikely to survive until 2027.

 

[jz0309]

I don't think he has a clue, what does "major upgrades" even mean?
it's gonna take a couple years to develop the platform and there will be iterations ...

 

[poematik13]

There has to be a $1749 "Air" or $999 edu-focused version either this holiday or next, to keep the momentum going. Otherwise this is another airpods max/homepod/mac pro dud product

 

[Surf Monkey]

So basically they’re waiting for Sony to reduce the cost of their micro LED and camera tech and other manufacturers like TSMC to innovate and drive down cost? By then, Meta will have copied all of Apple’s software advantages and will sell comparable hardware for much less. Doesn’t seem like a winning strategy, if this rumor is true.

I’ve always said there’s big potential in VR/AR but we’re a long ways away from mass adoption. Too many hurdles to overcome.

The content of the message is less important than the fact of the message in the first place. Apple sold the device as “the future of computing.” If that were true they’d be prepping a new version for the holiday season this year. Why would they sleep on “the future of computing”? The answer is simple: they’re lowering expectations because they know that the product isn’t the future of computing at all.