Apple Vision Pro: No Plans on Making a Cheaper Model Yet?

General news News Tech Tech News 04/29/2024

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TECH NEWS – The Cupertino-based company has yet to come up with a plan to turn its AR headset, which currently costs at least $3500, into a cheaper model, and its successor is still a long way off.

Demand for Apple’s Vision Pro has plummeted (we’ve written about this before), and plans for a successor to the device are not yet fully in place. We are now hearing that the next device could be released by the end of 2026, but in the meantime, attention should also be focused on bringing the product category closer to the mainstream, which would require a cheaper product for customers. Currently, Apple has to pay more than $1,500 for parts alone, so making a more affordable headset is not easy.

Currently, Apple is paying $456 for the AR headset’s 4K micro-OLED displays, so it is considering sourcing them from two Chinese companies. Here’s what Bloomberg editor Mark Gurman wrote in his latest Power On newsletter: “Apple’s latest Vision Pro roadmap currently doesn’t call for a second-generation model until the end of 2026, though the company is trying to figure out a way to release a cheaper version before then. Apple is still puzzling over exactly how to bring the cost down, I’m told. Apple is introducing a new version of the Vision Pro’s software this year – visionOS 2.0 – but it’s not expected to be a game changer. The next big step for the headset will be international expansion, with Apple preparing to bring the device to China in the near future.”

We previously heard that a cheaper model of Apple’s Vision Pro would be available from 2025, and would use an iPhone chipset with a weaker display instead of Mac foundations. Apple is trying to improve the headset’s current sales with sales in China and Europe, but pricing could still be the sticking point. The company could cut its display costs by 50% if it struck a deal with Chinese manufacturers SeeYA and BOE, but that would not significantly lower the price, and quality could be an issue.

How Apple will get out of this situation remains to be seen.

Source: WCCFTech

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Angyal Anikó

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