Apple took its sweet time in launching a mixed reality headset but it finally came out with the Vision Pro a few months back. Despite the initial hype, the company hasn't been able to sell many units. Given that it's priced at $3,499, it's not in the mass-market price segment to begin with.
The company has reportedly been looking into ways to make the headset affordable. There's also another option being considered that would essentially copy what Samsung did with the Gear VR to offer a much more affordable headset.
Gear VR could inspire Apple's next headset
Samsung first released the Gear VR headset back in 2015. You plugged in a compatible device and the headset used the phone's display and processor while acting as a controller and inertial measurement unit for rotational tracking. It was a barebones way of providing a VR experience and it worked well. More than 5 million units of the Gear VR were sold before Samsung discontinued it in 2018.
Apple's got a real problem on its hands because a $3,499 headset is way too expensive for the average consumer. The company is reportedly working on a more affordable version that would be priced in the $1,500 – $2,000 range with lower specs, reduced quality of pass-through visuals, and an older chipset.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg also claims that Apple is thinking about an iteration of the headset that uses a tethered Mac or iPhone. If it makes one that relies on the iPhone, it would essentially be the same concept as the Gear VR, whereby the iPhone's processing power and displays will be used to power the VR experience.
This could bring down the cost significantly for customers and enable Apple to bring them into the Vision headset fold. Once they're in, the company will have enough of an opportunity to gradually steer them towards the more expensive headsets. While Samsung's headset plans are a mystery right now, it's great to see how it was ahead of its time with the Gear VR.
