We’ve known for months that Apple is working on a cheaper version of the Vision Pro headset, but the actual price of the device has remained something of a mystery. Now, though, we might have a better idea of how much it’ll cost – and it’s hardly what you’d call cheap.
According to reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, the cut-price Vision Pro headset – due to launch “as early as next year” – will cost “around $2,000″ (or about £1,500 / AU$3,000). That will still put it comfortably at the top end of all the best virtual reality (VR) headsets, though, so it’s unlikely to ever be positioned as an affordable product.
Still, $2,000 is close to half the current asking price of the Vision Pro, which will set you back a mighty $3,499. While the price is not entirely unjustified – the Vision Pro has some of the best and most advanced tech inside any consumer VR headset on the market – it’s held the product back from being a true mainstream success.
But by bringing out a cheaper alternative to the regular Vision Pro, Apple will be able to offer a (somewhat) easier route into its ‘spatial computing’ ecosystem. The company saw success using this tactic with the HomePod and HomePod mini, although with such vast price differences between these speakers and Apple’s headset, being able to replicate that feat with the Vision Pro is far from guaranteed.
Redefining affordability
Going from $3,499 to $2,000 is still a massive drop in price, so how exactly will Apple make it happen? Gurman believes that the cheaper device will “probably use an inferior processor and cheaper materials” in order to drive the cost down. As well as that, Apple is also planning to drop the EyeSight feature that displays a user’s eyes on the outside of the headset.
With all these changes, Gurman says Apple “is expecting unit sales of the device to be at least double the level of the Vision Pro.” But considering the low sales figures of the current Vision Pro, Gurman adds “that’s not saying much.”
The lower-priced Vision Pro is just one of the future augmented reality (AR) devices that Apple is working on. Also in the pipeline is a second-generation Vision Pro, as well as Apple’s ultimate goal in this field, which is a pair of lightweight AR glasses similar to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
But given how the Vision Pro doesn’t seem to be flying off the shelves, it would make sense for Apple to focus its efforts on bringing the price down to encourage more people to give it a try.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
