The future of the Vision Pro headset is reportedly in flux. There’s no internal agreement on the design, and the headset may never see the light of day.
That matters a lot. A lighter, more comfortable Vision Pro is what fans have wanted since launch. But Apple is said to be weighing four very different concepts, and a release isn’t guaranteed.
Apple is weighing four options for the Vision Pro
Apple launched the Vision Pro in 2024 as its first major new product category in years. The headset combines high-resolution displays, eye and hand tracking and spatial audio to create what Apple calls “spatial computing.” But its roughly $3,499 starting price, along with its weight, greatly limited its appeal compared with more affordable VR headsets.
On Sunday, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed Apple is working on completely overhauling the headset. This project is internally codenamed N224, but, in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says it’s on “life support” and may never ship.
As for the concepts, engineers are exploring one where the computing hardware and battery would be in a separate puck. That’s the same approach Meta took with its new VR glasses.
The current Vision Pro already uses a battery pack. But some inside Apple reportedly dislike the puck idea and want an integrated design.
The second idea involves keeping the current Vision Pro’s egg-shaped body. Apple is reportedly testing plastic, titanium and other metals to make it lighter.
The fact that there’s no agreement about even the basic layout of the product doesn’t bode well for its future.
Gurman also pointed to a management shake-up affecting Vision Pro development. Previously, the Vision team directly reported to Ternus. But now that he’s CEO, the group reportedly sits one layer further from the top, with Johny Srouji as Apple’s chief hardware officer.
Apple smart glasses could be out first
If N224 survives, Gurman says it would come sometime between late 2028 or early 2029 as a successor to the current M5 Vision Pro. But unlike the N100, the light Vision Air Apple reportedly shelved last year, N224 may not target a lower price.
Chances are, Apple’s smart glasses will show up first. The company reportedly aims to release a pair by the end of 2027 as a more practical alternative to the Vision Pro. Reports say the company is working on lightweight glasses that could connect to an iPhone and use cameras, microphones and speakers to provide AI-powered features without putting a display in front of each eye.
Ternus praises the headset but makes no promises
Apple’s new CEO John Ternus praised the Vision Pro in a recent interview with French TV show Clique TV. When asked if it was a failure, he pointed to early adopters and surgeons who use it.
Ternus said the headset is in “the early days of a long journey”, but refused to comment on whether Apple will keep developing it.
Vision Pro is/isn’t cancelled
Anyone closely following the reports on Apple’s plans for future Vision Pro products might be frustrated that despite some reports that the device has been canceled, other reports say development continues.
Gurman address this in a post on the social media service Threads, saying, “I realize this is a little nuanced for social media discussion, but there has been a lot of internal back-and-forth on this topic over the two years or, in part due to executive changes and reassessments of the long-term value of the changing XR market, in part due to development issues… I accurately report what I hear when I hear it, even if it doesn’t neatly fit someone else’s narrative or expectations.”
Anurag Chawake is a tech-focused writer specializing in smartphones, apps and consumer technology. His interest in computers began during the Windows 98 era, eventually leading him to explore everything from operating systems to mobile devices and PC hardware. Anurag previously contributed to The Indian Express, covering Apple, Android, gaming and the broader technology landscape.
