Apple Vision's "lite" model progresses; possible smartglasses release speculated
The Vision Pro has been on the market unchanged since February 2024. However, Apple appears to be working on several successors. They are urgently needed.
Using the Vision Pro: Too expensive and too heavy.
(Image: Apple)
Apple's first augmented reality headset, the Vision Pro, is currently in the air when it comes to market positioning. The hardware is now outdated, as the device was released over a year ago. At the same time, the manufacturer has not lowered the price –, which was enormously high at launch in Europe (at least 4,000 euros – ), and has not opened up sales; only Apple itself is officially allowed to sell the hardware. No information on sales figures is provided, even though Apple CEO Tim Cook has already admitted that it is a product for early adopters, i.e. only a niche market. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Apple will simply bury the topic of AR. When it comes to future Apple products, Cook is said to be particularly interested in a significantly better successor to the Vision Pro. This is reportedly the main topic for him when it comes to new products. However, the genuine AR glasses that Apple is hoping for will probably still take years. Nevertheless, new Vision Pro products can be expected relatively soon. At least that's what the rumor mill says.
Lightweight model plus tethering to the Mac
Two models are therefore planned, both of which should bring interesting improvements. On the one hand, Apple is working on a lighter Vision Pro, which could be released in early 2026. Instead of aluminum, it will be made of titanium internally. This would solve or at least alleviate a key problem: the high weight of the headset. There may be new colors on the outside. We can still expect faster chips, which in 2026 would hopefully be the M5 expected in the fall at the latest, although Apple already relied on the older M2 for the Vision Pro.
Videos by heise
Vision Pro successor number two is supposedly a model that can be connected directly to the Mac. The idea is to enable professionals to use – as well as various other professional headsets via tethering – industrial applications on the Vision Pro without any time delay. A "maximum fast response time" is supposedly planned for this. It is not yet clear whether this central feature will remain or whether the new model will have other revised functions. It will reportedly be released at the end of 2025 and therefore earlier than the lighter model. It is also conceivable that Apple will combine both approaches and simply launch an all-round improved Vision Pro 2 on the market.
Reorganization of the team
There have recently been personnel changes in the Vision Products Group (VPG), which is responsible for Vision products. One of the most important people in the division, manager Mike Rockwell, was transferred to the voice assistant Siri in order to finally accelerate Apple's AI efforts. It is currently impossible to say what this means for VPG. However, research into real AR glasses is likely to continue unabated, as it is very important to CEO Cook as a project, as mentioned above.
In terms of Vision Pro content, Apple is meanwhile adding more and more of its own content: a new immersive video of the Pikes Peak race was recently published.
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