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Apple is still planning to release its Vision Pro mixed reality headset sometime in early 2024. It’s also still supposed to cost $3,499, which would put it out of reach of most consumers. There have been reports that Apple is already making plans for a cheaper version of the Vision Pro, but if you have been hoping the price would be in the triple digits, the latest story from Apple leaker Mark Gurman might be disappointing.
In his latest Power One newsletter at Bloomberg, Gurman reported, via unnamed sources, that Apple “has internally discussed prices ranging from $1,500 to $2,500” for the cheaper Vision Pro headset. Even if it falls on the lower end of that price scale, it would still be triple the price of the just launched Meta Quest 3 headset which has a starting price of $499.99.
Gurman claims that to get the price down, the “cheaper” Apple Vision Pro would have lower resolution displays than the first-gen model, along with an iPhone-based processor rather than one based on Apple’s Mac CPU. The cheaper version might also have fewer external cameras and sensors and may ditch the Eyesight feature that puts an image of the wearer’s eyes on its external display.
That last feature might actually be a positive in this case, as many people have felt that seeing a person’s eyes while they wear a headset like the Vision Pro is more than a little creepy.
As previously stated by Gurman, Apple is also reportedly working on a true next-gen Vision Pro with all of the high-end (and high-priced) hardware but in a smaller and lighter design. Gurman previously reported that some people have encountered neck strain while wearing the first Vision Pro because of its weight.
