Apple’s cheaper Vision Pro follow-up still won’t be cheap

Apple’s more affordable VR / AR headset might ditch the external display along with other changes to hit a price point at or under $2,500.

Mark Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today that the more affordable follow-up to the Apple Vision Pro will “likely” ditch the external display to help it reach an internally-discussed price point between $1,500 and $2.500. Gurman also reiterates what he wrote in June — that the more affordable version will probably run on an iPhone-grade chip, have fewer cameras, and get lower-resolution screens inside.

Ditching the external display means Apple would lock one of the Vision Pro’s marquee features — EyeSight — behind the paywall of the more expensive versions. EyeSight is the thing that lets you see an on-the-fly render of the wearer’s eyes so they can “look” at you when you’re talking to them, and so you can tell, at a glance, if they’re occupied or if they’re actually seeing what’s in front of them.

Gurman writes that in deciding to prioritize getting a friendlier-priced version out into the world, Apple shifted people to that and away from its technically-challenging AR glasses project.

Nothing about the price range Apple’s reportedly discussing is “cheap,” though $1,500 is certainly more palatable. But whether $2,500 feels like enough of a discount probably depends on whether an iPhone chip and other hardware changes can provide a good software experience. Especially if the company has any hopes about drawing in people who haven’t yet decided if they want this sort of thing in their life — a challenge that’s far from unique to Apple.