Vision Pro 2: Apple would have suspended its development, but for a good reason

Apple has reportedly decided to temporarily suspend the development of the second generation of Apple Vision Pro in order to focus on creating a more affordable model. This decision, reported by The Information, suggests that Apple is making a strategic move to reach a wider market with its augmented and virtual reality technology.

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A matter of priorities, but with question marks

As far as we know, initially Apple planned to divide the Apple Vision line into two models: one “Pro”, which we already know, and another standard model at a lower cost. However, the company has been deprioritizing the development of the next Vision Pro over the past year, gradually assigning fewer employees to the project. Now, according to the information from The Information, Apple has informed at least one of its suppliers that it has suspended work on the next generation of Vision Pro. The good news? They are doing it to focus on a more affordable Apple Vision.

Apple began working on a Vision device with a lower price in 2022, under the codename “N109”. The goal is to sell this model at a price similar to that of a high-end iPhone, around $1500 or $1600. When Apple started developing the device, they aimed to launch it by the end of 2024, but as of early this year, they still didn’t have a solid prototype. Apparently, the company has encountered some difficulties in reducing the costs of the model without sacrificing too many features, which will likely delay its release date until the end of 2025.

According to rumors, Apple wants to keep the high-end screen components of the Vision Pro in the low-cost model, which are precisely the most expensive components of the device. As we know, although the more affordable model will have the same high-quality screens as the Vision Pro, it will have fewer cameras, a simpler headband, and slightly smaller speakers. Additionally, Apple wants the entry-level Apple Vision to be at least one-third lighter than the Vision Pro.

What remains to be seen is how the product line evolves. It is expected that Apple will resume work on a second generation of Vision Pro in the future. The pause in the development of Vision Pro 2 does not mean that Apple is abandoning the product by any means. Beyond the names, however, it remains to be seen if Apple chooses to launch this second generation based on the work of the entry-level model, and therefore does not split the line into two product ranges, or if we are really talking about a longer wait.

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In this last case, we would have the launch of Apple Vision at the end of 2025 and Apple Vision Pro 2 at the end of 2026, according to the latest leaks. An interesting schedule to which we must add the international expansion of the device, which is in progress and will take its first steps this coming July. We will see, in a few months, how the expansion continues and what we can find out about the company’s plans. In any case, even if the wait is longer than expected, it is clear that Apple is fine-tuning its strategy to make Vision Pro a complete success.