Apple’s Vision Pro was meant to usher in a whole new way of computing. When Tim Cook and his team launched the device, boasting about the advent of Spatial Computing, we were meant to prepare for a whole new way of working and playing with our technology. But the Vision Pro has been, at least from a market persecutive, a major failure.
Apple has cancelled products before – iPod HiFi, the AirPower charging system (that never even made it to market after being announced) and that terrible hockey-puck mouse. But the Vision Pro is in a league of its own. And that is leading Apple to taking a new approach with the next Vision device that will come to market.
Supply chain expert Ming-Chi Kuo said in a recent newsletter that Apple is preparing to release the Vision Air in 2027. He says this will be a lightweight version of the Vision Pro that will remain on the market. It’s expected to weigh half as much as the Vision Pro and come n at about half the price. Given the current Vision Pro starts at $5,999 locally, the Vision Air will still be expensive at around $3,000.
Kuo expects Apple to ship about a million Vision Air headsets – a big boost over the fewer than 400,000 Vision Pro units shipped currently.
When we look at Apple’s product strategy it typically offers three variants in most product categories
For the iPhone we have the
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Pro
The iPad range follows a similar model
- iPad
- iPad Air
- iPad Pro
If Kuo’s data is correct, Apple seems to be moving in a similar direction, albeit by starting by releasing the high-end model first and following up with lower-cost variants later. That’s the opposite of what the company did with the iPhone and iPad where more advanced models came later.
Kuo notes that an M5-powered Vision Pro is expected this year. With Apple hosting its ‘Awe dropping’ event next week, there’s a good chance the updated Vision Pro will be announced then.
A recent Wall Street Journal report notes that the Vision Pro is finding a place in enterprises – that’s unsurprising given the high price that puts it out of reach for most consumers. The ability for the Vision Pro to blend the digital and physical worlds has some great applications in retail and engineering. But when it comes to documents, presentations and spreadsheets, desktop and laptop computers still rule the business world.
Will the Vision Air change this equation? The lower cost will, undoubtably, drive more sales. And we may find that people who were interested in Vision Pro but put off by the high cost more likely to adopt it in more applications. But until the cost of a Vision device drops to smartphone-type levels it will remain a niche device.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.