Inside Apple’s Vision Group: New Products on the Horizon

In Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, he sheds light on Apple’s ongoing efforts within its Vision group to develop follow-up products to the recently launched Apple Vision Pro. This initiative includes a more affordable version of the Vision headset, a second-generation Vision Pro, and a pair of Smart Glasses, possibly inspired by Meta’s Ray-Ban models.

Cheaper Apple Vision Headset

The Apple Vision Pro, which began shipping in February 2024 after being unveiled at WWDC 2023, initially faced significant excitement. However, its $3,499 price tag has likely been a barrier for many potential buyers, quickly cooling the initial hype. Despite this, Apple is reportedly preparing plans for a more affordable Vision headset, which could hit the market as soon as next year.

The specifics of how Apple will reduce costs remain unclear. Still, Gurman hints at potential challenges in making this cheaper model a mainstream success, especially if the price doesn’t drop below $1,500.

Apple Smart Glasses

In addition to new Vision headsets, Apple is exploring Smart Glasses without integrated displays. This concept resembles Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, which combine basic camera and voice assistant functionality with AI-driven features. Gurman notes that while Apple had ambitions for true augmented reality glasses, these plans have been shelved due to technical hurdles.

Therefore, it may be some time before we see a full-fledged “Apple Glass” product. Nonetheless, the idea of Apple entering the market with a simpler, yet still advanced, smart glasses product is intriguing. It could provide a new direction for the company in the wearables space.

This exploration into next-generation Vision products and Smart Glasses highlights Apple’s commitment to innovation, even in market challenges. Whether these products can break through to mainstream success remains an open question. Still, Apple’s continued experimentation suggests that they’re not ready to give up on the potential of this emerging technology.