Back in June, Mark Gurman reported that Apple is working on a more affordable version of the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. However, there was no information about the price or the specifications of the upcoming product. That’s changing today, thanks to a new report from the journalist on Bloomberg.
According to Mark, Apple is internally discussing launching the more affordable version of the Vision Pro between $1,500 and $2,500. He claims that Apple might not equip the product with an external display like that on the Vision Pro to keep the price low. For those of you who don’t know, the Apple Vision Pro comes with an external display that enables EyeSight. It is a feature that lets others see a real-time render of the wearer’s eyes so that they can interact with each other in a better way.
In the previous report, Mark had claimed that the cheaper version of the Vision Pro could have screens with lower resolution, fewer cameras, and an iPhone-grade processor. In the new report, he reiterates those claims. According to the tipster, Apple is shifting employees working on the development of the upcoming AR glasses to the development of the cheaper version of the Vision Pro, as the company wants to prioritise the development of the former over the latter.
Samsung is also developing its own mixed-reality headset, called the Samsung XR headset. The company is working with Google and Qualcomm on it. The upcoming product from the Korean tech giant is expected to cost around $1,000. So, it was never going to be directly compared to the Vision Pro. However, now that the price of the more affordable version of the Vision Pro is out, it looks like the Samsung XR headset will have a direct rival from Apple after all.
Author’s Note: The downgraded hardware of the upcoming mixed reality headset from Apple could be justified only if it comes with a price tag of $1,500 or less. In case Apple decides to price it around $2,500, the product could be dead on arrival. That’s because $2,500 is a lot of money, and anyone who is willing to spend that much on a mixed-reality headset would rather shell out an extra amount of money and get the Vision Pro instead. For people interested in cheaper alternatives, there will be Samsung XR and Meta Quest 3.
