Those hoping for a cheaper Apple Vision Pro will have to wait a few years…
TL;DR: Apple Vision Pro 2
- What’s going on? A report says the Apple Vision Pro 2 is years away. 🥽
- What about a cheaper Vision Pro? The same report notes that Apple is trying to find a way to release a cheaper Vision Pro before then. 💰
- When would the cheap Apple Vision Pro come out? That’s unknown, but the best guess says not before late 2025. 🗓️
- When will Apple Vision Pro 2 come out? The report says not to expect it before “the end of 2026.” 📆
Those hoping that Apple will unveil the Apple Vision Pro 2 anytime soon are going to be disappointed. Apple’s mixed reality spatial computer, which debuted this February has generated a lot of buzz, but sales have reportedly significantly declines since launch weekend.
The $3,500 price of the Apple Vision Pro likely has a lot to do with sales nosediving. But still, Apple is reportedly still planning future Apple Vision Pro headsets for the future—they may not just come anytime soon, according to a recent report from Bloomberg.
As Bloomberg reported this weekend: “Apple’s latest Vision Pro road map doesn’t currently call for a second-generation model until the end of 2026, though the company is trying to figure out a way to bring a cheaper version to market before then. Apple is still flummoxed by how exactly to bring down the cost, I’m told.”
While what “the end” of 2026 means is debatable. But let’s assume that means the fourth quarter of the year—October, November, or December 2026. That would be two and a half years after the launch of the original Apple Vision Pro.
Two and a half years is a long time to wait for a product update. Keep in mind that iPhones are updated annually and even most iPads rarely go 18 months without an update.
So, if Bloomberg’s reporting is correct, why might Apple wait until the end of 2026? It’s likely the company wants to get a few visionOS software releases out the door first to add new software-based abilities to see what features Apple Vision Pro users latch onto. visionOS is the operating system that powers the Apple Vision Pro.
visionOS 2 is rumored to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. And if Apple does indeed wait until late 2026 to release the Apple Vision Pro 2, we will also see visionOS 3 and visionOS 4 released before then. That gives Apple a lot of time to beef up the current software abilities of the Apple Vision Pro—and perhaps help make the current Apple Vision Pro more appealing to consumers without needing to spend a fortune to rush an updated device out the door.
But Bloomberg’s report also suggests that we may see a new Vision headset before the Apple Vision Pro 2 ships—it just might not be a “Pro” unit. Bloomberg says Apple is “trying to figure out a way” to bring a cheaper Vision headset to the market before 2026.
To do that Apple will likely need to use cheaper materials in the headset, such as plastics, to help get the cost (and the weight—a sticking point with consumers) down. But Apple will also likely need to cut back on some of the sensors and/or cameras integrated into the current Apple Vision Pro to make a cheaper device.
However, if Apple cuts back on sensors and cameras, it could risk making the cheaper costing version feel like a cheaper product altogether.
