Shocking: Apple Vision Pro 2 Reportedly 'Cancelled'
- Apple has suspended work on the second-generation Vision Pro headset to focus on developing a more affordable model.
- The company faced challenges reducing the cost of the Vision Pro without sacrificing key features, delaying the cheaper model's release to at least the end of 2025.
- A supplier reduced production by 50% after Apple forecasted weaker demand, indicating limited production of Vision Pro units this year.
- Despite halting the Vision Pro 2, Apple aims to resume its development in the future while continuing work on the lower-cost Vision product.
- The more affordable Vision device is targeted to be priced around $1,600, similar to a high-end iPhone, with cost reductions on components like cameras and speakers.
Image credit: Apple World Today
The company initially aimed to reduce the cost of the first-generation model's components and create an upgraded display for the next version. However, Apple has now informed at least one supplier that work on the next-generation Vision Pro has been halted. Despite this, development on a more affordable Vision product with fewer features continues.
Apple began working on the cheaper Vision device, codenamed "N109," in 2022, with an initial release target at the end of 2024. The goal was to price this model similarly to a high-end iPhone, around $1,600. However, the company has faced challenges in reducing the device's costs without sacrificing too many features, pushing the expected release date to at least the end of 2025.
Image credit: ZDNET
A key supplier reportedly reduced production by 50% in May after Apple forecasted weaker demand for the Vision Pro. This suggests that Apple has produced no more than 500,000 units this year, with no plans to significantly increase production before August.
Despite the suspension of the Vision Pro 2, Apple has not ruled out resuming its development in the future. The company aims to retain the high-end display components in the lower-cost model while cutting costs on features like the number of cameras, the headband, and the speakers.
Image credit: Apple
The development of a more affordable Vision headset is crucial for Apple to establish "spatial computing" as a mainstream technology. The challenge remains to balance cost reduction while maintaining the user experience, especially given the high price point of the original Vision Pro, which launched at $3,499.
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Published to Apple Scoop on 20th June, 2024.
