Apple’s Vision Pro may be the most intriguing new Apple product in years, but at $3,499, very few people are going to buy one. But don’t worry: Apple is already working on a cheaper model that will be announced in 2025.
In its latest Power On newsletter, Gurman claims that a “cheaper” version of the Vision Pro is in development, likely with “inferior displays, either an iPhone-grade chip or an older, less expensive Mac chip. of cameras”. Called Apple Vision or Apple Vision One, the headset is expected to launch in 2025.
We’ve heard this rumor before, but now that we know what Apple’s high-end headphones look, make and cost, it puts the cheaper model into a bit more context. The headphones feature very high-end technology, so we can expect the cheaper model to lower some of the specs, much like the iPod mini. Compared to the iPod, the iPod mini had a smaller case and screen and introduced the Click Wheel, a compact version of the original iPod’s iconic scroll wheel, plus less storage for $249. which is about 40% less than the original iPod. A similar formula puts the cheaper Vision at around $2,000, which seems like a bargain compared to the Vision Pro.
The iPod mini was launched as an inexpensive alternative to the high-end iPod.
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Apple also reduced the price of the iPhone, but a higher-end model was not introduced until the iPhone 6 Plus several years later. With Vision Pro, Apple sets the bar extremely high at the start in order to make its low-end model even more affordable.
Like the iPod mini, Gurman says certain features will likely be part of the less expensive model, including the external EyeSight display that projects an image of the wearer’s eye and the eye and hand tracking interface. However, a cheaper headset might sacrifice screen, audio, and build quality to bring the price down.
It makes sense to price Vision Pro so high. With the first version, you want to showcase the best technology possible, and in the case of the Vision Pro, it has to blow people away. Apple will surely sell Vision Pro headsets, but its main job will be to make people who won’t buy one want one. So when the cheapest model arrives, they will rush to buy one. Just like the iPod mini.
