Cheaper, Lighter Apple Vision Pro Successor Could Arrive in Late 2028

[MacRumors]

Apple is still working on a cheaper, lighter successor to its Vision Pro headset, but it is unlikely to launch before late 2028 or 2029, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple needs to come up with a slimmer design for the $3,499 headset and bring down the cost before it can return to the category, which is essentially "on ice" until then.

Gurman made a point of distinguishing the Vision Pro successor from the long-rumored "Vision Air," which was cancelled last year.

In the meantime, Apple's smart glasses project is now the focus, and former Vision Products Group members have been reassigned to that team. Apple is now aiming to release its first smart glasses in "late 2027," according to Gurman.

Apple refreshed the Vision Pro in October 2025 with an updated model featuring an M5 chip.

Article Link: Cheaper, Lighter Apple Vision Pro Successor Could Arrive in Late 2028

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

IMO That product category should exist and have a place in life, it enriches them by connecting people from distance, the killer feature is FaceTime and shareable experiences like watching movie together, otherwise it's pretty lonely in there.

 

[PixelPanics]

I would buy that for $1499

 

[SilmarilFinder]

I forgot Apple has such a product

 

[frou]

If they launch it all the way in 2029 then in the PR they might just pretend the original one never existed.

 

[idmean]

I think the use case for the average consumer is still entirely unclear.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Can someone talk to Apple please. Time to let it go.

 

[Charliebird]

This nonsense again. Jim, it’s dead. We’ll try again in another 10 or 15 years when we’re looking for fresh, recycled ideas.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Seems like Apple decided to merge their plans for a Vision Air, with their plans for a redesigned, slimmer Vision Pro, rather than bifurcate the product line and deal with the extra complexities of that approach.

This sure is an on-again, off-again series of decisions. Not that this is bad, but it does seem to mean Apple won't be making a headset whose price can begin to compete with devices like the Quest headsets.

 

[iZac]

Bigscreen Beyond size, with the compute unit and battery on a connected puck please.

Of course by the time Apple bring this to market in 2028 2029 2030 2031, someone will be doing something even smaller than the Bigscreen Beyond.

 

[NightFox]

The problem is that Apple will have to not just maintain, but positively build interest in the existing Vision Pro between now and then. If they let it fade away which seems to be the path it's currently taking, then they're going to struggle to engage people with a new model of the same concept.

 

[MatrixfanMacuser]

I say it’s not the high price in itself what pushed this to an ultra narrow niche product. It’s how limited it is for what it costs and design doesn’t cater to ergonomic requirements as a priority. With VR ergonomics and comfort are the two paramount design underpinnings.
Quality of hardware and quality of software is through the roof with the Vision Pro, i’m even contemplating one used as a portable editing environment.

 

[maflynn]

The market isn't there, it wasn't there at 3,500, I don't think its will be there for 1,800.

Meta has poured billions into these things, even changing their name, and its flop badly. They have a much cheaper headset, so I don't see apple succeeding when most consumers don't want this. There's no business market, when there's MS teams/zoom for video conferencing, never mind many companies are pushing a return to the office.

this is one of the bigger blunders coming from Tim Apple.

 

[Alloween]

Putting the thing on ice is not gonna solve the problem. The should keep on developing, cut down on the margin of the current vision… so that more people could afford it. Instead they focus on a product, that will never succeed with it’s current set of features and will probably raise a huge concern from digital rights groups, restriktive governments, etc…
Really? Who need blasses with a camera and a built in headset…?

 

[krell100]

Late 2028. Sure...

 

[211]

I don't know why some people here are so desperate for this product to die. I think it's great with massive potential. The main problem that stopped people trying it out was the price. I never wore one, but apparently the weight was also a big problem, and the battery life. If they can fix those things, which sounds like they are trying to, the second version may actually sell well.

 

[Marbles1]

If apple can bring out a 'Vision Neo', at an aggressively competitive price and a solid 'commitment to support for 6+ years, they'll build up an ecosystem.

 

[Ctrlos]

The market is there, its just Apple marketed it all wrong. There are dozens of companies making 'big display glasses' year after year so clearly somebody is buying them.

Apple need to double down on the things it does well which is a offering a giant private work space. If they stripped out all the AR/VR shenanigans and killed its app store in the process they wouldn't need half its internal tech. A single USB-C cable running out the back to connect to a laptop, iPad or iPhone would be all thats needed.

I and millions of other people do not have space at home for an office or a desk. A monitor is out of the question and a projector takes up space. If I could throw on a pair of glasses that gave me multuple windows on a large HUD I'd buy it tomorrow.

 

[haydn!]

Never has a product gone from "Wow! This looks incredible" to "Oh yeah, I forgot they make those" so fast.

 

[maflynn]

If apple can bring out a 'Vision Neo', at an aggressively competitive price and a solid 'commitment to support for 6+ years, they'll build up an ecosystem.

No they want.

Its not a if you build it they will come situation. There is no market for such a device.

Look at Meta, they have done that very thing and its largely a failure.

 

[BvizioN]

Sub $2000 I would have purchased. It is amazing product but overly expensive.

 

[maflynn]

Never has a product gone from "Wow! This looks incredible" to "Oh yeah, I forget they make those" so fast.

A 3,500 dollar product that cannot do anything will do that to you 😛

 

[gpat]

Never has a product gone from "Wow! This looks incredible" to "Oh yeah, I forgot they make those" so fast.

To be honest, it happened plenty of times in the past. OG Apple TV, iPod HiFi, Apple Ping (what? Exactly), and so on. People are just too dramatic.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

The problem is that Apple will have to not just maintain, but positively build interest in the existing Vision Pro between now and then. If they let it fade away which seems to be the path it's currently taking, then they're going to struggle to engage people with a new model of the same concept.

It seems that, after the disappointing sales numbers, Apple shifted its intended audience for the Vision Pro more towards professional users like engineering, medicine, architecture, forms of science visualization, etc. But maybe Apple needs to continue to engage these users too, to maintain their interest compared to other products that might come along or are already here.

 

[WilliApple]

Thats 4 years until the Vision Pro can almost become viable from the OG release, I feel the public forgot about the Apple Vision Pro already, my brother for example completley forgot until I re-mentioned it to him