By Alex Blake
Apple’s Vision Pro headset is still months away from launching, but one well-known analyst has already painted a bleak picture for the device. According to the assessment, Apple might have canceled a low-cost version of the Vision Pro, leaving potential customers in the lurch.
The news was published in a report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is thought to have well-placed sources in Apple’s supply chain. Previous leaks have suggested that Apple is working on a cheaper edition of the Vision Pro — due to launch in 2025 — to help users who can’t afford the base model’s $3,499 price tag, but Kuo thinks those plans might have been scrapped entirely.
Kuo doesn’t explain why the more affordable model has apparently been abandoned, but notes that “Unless Apple significantly reduces the price of Vision Pro, the anticipated significant shipment growth in Vision Pro shipments starting in 2025 may not materialize.”
In other words, with no lower-cost version on the market, Apple will be forced to slash the price of the Vision Pro or face the prospect of much lower sales figures than it hoped for.
A troubled road ahead
It’s not encouraging news, but that’s not all Kuo had to say on the matter. The analyst’s report added that shipments of the original Vision Pro could be well below the 1 million units the market currently anticipates. Indeed, Kuo believes Apple could ship 400,000 to 600,000 units “at most.” That’s similar to what previous reports have predicted.
Kuo also touched on the Vision Pro 2, a second-generation version of the $3,499 device (not to be confused with the mooted lower-cost model). There’s a chance that the Vision Pro 2 won’t enter production until the first half of 2027, Kuo says, meaning the original device could go three years without an update after its introduction in 2024.
All this bad news is a shame, Kuo seems to contend, because the headset “will undoubtedly provide users with an excellent experience.” Apple products are known for their quality as well as their high prices, but if Apple can’t solve the Vision Pro pricing problem, all that effort might have been in vain.
Despite the device’s exceptional quality, Kuo says the main problem is “why users need this product.” Still, the analyst suggests that there is still hope: the Vision Pro may yet become Apple’s “next star product,” but it could “take longer than the market expects” to get there.
We’ll have to see what Apple plans to do over the next few months and years. Hopefully, it won’t forget about customers for whom $3,499 is too much to pay for a mixed reality headset.
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In ancient times, people like Alex would have been shunned for their nerdy ways and strange opinions on cheese. Today, he…
The next Vision Pro could let you see invisible energy
Before it launched, there was concern that Apple’s Vision Pro headset could struggle to find a strong ‘killer app.’ Well, Apple might have found one, as a fresh patent from the company explains that future versions of the device could let you see the invisible energy that floats around you.
No, we’re not talking about some kind of New Age mysticism. Instead, Apple is apparently working on letting the Vision Pro visualize things like electrical currents, radio signals, Wi-Fi output, and more. This ability could help engineers diagnose problems in your home, for example — or let you fix them yourself.
Apple’s Vision Pro could get this incredible gaming upgrade
Apple has touted its Vision Pro headset as a premier gaming device that works with many different controllers. But with extensive gesture control seemingly used everywhere on the product except for gaming, it feels like a missed opportunity.
Well, that could change in the future, as a newly published Apple patent (number 11709554) shows how future editions of the Vision Pro could transform your hands into gaming controllers, complete with fingertip controls and haptic feedback.
Report: Apple’s 2024 MacBooks may face some serious shortages
Looking forward to getting a new MacBook in the next year or so? You might have to wait longer than expected, as Apple chip supplier TSMC is reportedly struggling to get enough skilled workers for its forthcoming Arizona factory. That could mean we see serious shortages of Apple laptops and a struggle to get hold of stock.
The bad news comes from The Wall Street Journal. According to the outlet, TSMC has said that “people with expertise erecting semiconductor facilities were in short supply in the U.S.” As a result, the Arizona factory “would miss its target of starting mass production next year.”
[ For more curated Apple news, check out the main news page here]
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