A less ludicrously priced version of the Apple Vision Pro has supposedly been in development for many years, but its release has yet to see the light of day because the company has previously been reported to be struggling with cost-cutting without getting rid of key features. However, a new report states that the California-based titan is working on not one but two versions of its head-mounted wearable, with the first variant targeted at the masses thanks to its lowered price, while the second one sporting the capability of being tethered for broader functionality.
The cheaper Apple Vision Pro will address two major concerns, while the ‘tethered’ version will prioritize enterprise applications
While the pricing details of the more affordable Apple Vision Pro were not mentioned in Mark Gurman’s latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, we reported sometime back that the headset could be as expensive as a premium iPhone with an estimate of $1,600. Considering that the company’s ultra-premium model’s $3,499 was too difficult to fathom for many, we can see several customers giving this version a shot before deciding if they want to make it their daily driver. The latest details spotted by 9to5Mac state that the less expensive version will address two problems.
One of them was the weight, and with the upcoming Apple Vision Pro said to be lighter, it could reduce head strain by a substantial margin. However, the information did not mention if the device will rely on less premium materials such as plastic to achieve this goal. In Gurman’s ‘Power On’ newsletter from late last year, we mentioned that the cheaper Apple Vision Pro would need to ship with an inferior display, a plastic build, an A-series SoC instead of an M-series one, and a bunch of other compromises to contribute to that cost reduction. Fortunately, with the price reduction, the upcoming version could be in the same conversation as the Meta Quest 3, which is in no way as expensive as the $3,499 headset.
As for the tethered version, this Apple Vision Pro is reportedly being developed for enterprise use only and will support the use of applications made by various companies. This report mentions that this mixed-reality headset can be tethered to a Mac and will deliver incredibly low latency, which will make the device highly useful in scenarios like performing surgery or conducting flight simulations. A previous iteration had transparent lenses, but the upcoming version will offer the same pass-through technology as the current-generation Apple Vision Pro. There is no update on when we will see both of these products, but we guess that an unveiling could happen later in the year.
