Will the ‘Vision Pro 2’ Be Significantly More Affordable?

Apple has yet to roll out its Vision Pro beyond US borders, and we’re already seeing rumors suggesting Apple is already preparing its supply chain for a considerably cheaper successor.

While reports on Apple’s plans for the Vision Pro seem to be all over the place right now, a questionable source has suggested that the second-generation Apple Vision Pro could arrive by 2026 — and at half the price.

This information comes from a tweet by @Revegnus1 (via AppleInsider), which claims that the new headset could have a retail price as low as $1,500 and that Apple has already requested samples of various components from suppliers for evaluation.

However, the reliability of the @Revegnus1 account is difficult to ascertain. It has no track record of its own, having only been created a few days ago. While it somewhat obliquely claims to be a resurrection of another account, @Tech_reve, which was known for some reasonable predictions, there’s no way of knowing this for sure.

The prediction of a lower-cost version of the Vision Pro isn’t entirely out of left field, but this report could be conflating two different things.

Several analysts and other Apple watchers have been predicting a lower-cost version of the headset for over a year — even before we knew the Vision Pro name. In February 2023, Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple ultimately planned two versions of the Vision Pro, although they wouldn’t arrive until at least 2025.

Although Kuo later said Apple had shelved those plans, that may not be for a lack of trying. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported earlier this week that Apple is still trying to find a way to create a more affordable model but hasn’t had much success. In the meantime, Gurman says that an actual “Vision Pro 2” isn’t coming until the end of 2026.

Apple’s latest Vision Pro road map doesn’t currently call for a second-generation model until the end of 2026, though the company is trying to figure out a way to bring a cheaper version to market before then. Apple is still flummoxed by how exactly to bring down the cost, I’m told.Mark Gurman

That contradicts other reports over the past few weeks that we could see a “Vision Pro 2” released by next summer, which would align with the timeline shared by @Revegnus1. Still, the idea that it could produce a successor to the “Pro” model for a cheaper price is about as plausible as the bonkers “Steve Jobs Heritage Edition” Apple Glasses “leak” that appeared four years ago.

Producing a more affordable “Vision” or “Vision Air” is certainly more conceivable. Last fall, Gurman reported that Apple was “funneling resources toward a lower-end version with a goal of getting it down into a $1,500 to $2,500 price range by scaling down to less premium components such as lower-resolution screens and cameras or possibly even cutting some key features like EyeSight.

With that in mind, Apple could be sampling lower-cost components from suppliers to determine which compromises it can make. However, if Gurman’s most recent information is correct, it hasn’t cracked that nut yet, and until it does, the “Vision Air” is little more than a conceptual dream.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]