Apple could apparently still produce another VR headset in the coming years, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the project is on life support internally, largely because a much less obtrusive product from Meta, capable of doing much of what the Apple Vision Pro can do, was just announced last week.
As my colleague James Pero wrote after a hands-on demonstration, Meta’s upcoming VR glasses, tentatively scheduled for release next spring, are a “promising” entry into the VR product category. Goggles don’t weigh down your face as much as older helmets. The significantly reduced washer also lessens the load on your hip compared to other non-Vision-Pro helmets. Reviews aren’t available, but it’s a surprisingly lightweight device that could reignite interest in virtual reality.
According to Gurman, Apple’s follow-up to the Vision Pro, known as N224 within Apple, is the subject of internal debate and may never be released. If the plug isn’t pulled, Gurman says he likely won’t be available until the start of the next presidential administration.
If released, Gurman says Apple could introduce a puck, which would mean rethinking the Vision Pro’s commitment to integrating all of its non-battery components into the headset. However, some at Apple would be unmoved by the puck.
And as is often the case, Gurman explains his reasoning with a bit of Apple Kremlinology. The Vision Pro team previously reported directly to John Ternus, but Ternus is now CEO and Johny Srouji is now Director of Hardware. This apparently means that Apple’s Vision Products group, the Vision Pro part of Apple, is a layer removed from the CEO, and therefore a bit more isolated.
In a recent interview, when the Vision Pro was introduced, Ternus’ response in no way gave the impression that the product was about to be killed. He said the future was “bright for the Vision Pro and, for what it’s worth, he mentioned that surgeons were interested in it.” Here is an excerpt:
“You know, Vision Pro, for me, is an incredible device, right, it’s an absolutely incredible device, but I look at it as the early days of computers (…) It’s the early days of a long journey, that’s how I feel about Vision Pro.”
Regardless, despite how Ternus feels, and despite the Vision Pro’s interesting medical applications, Apple seems pretty determined (despite all the privacy concerns) to focus on a smart glasses product, which will have less computing power than the Vision Pro, but also much less bulk. These days, when it comes to wearables for your face, the key question seems to be: how much can they reduce it?
Gn tech
