Apple Vision Pro—is a cheaper model in the works?

David Phelan

Just days after Apple revealed its new headset, a report claims that something cheaper is already being developed.

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Did you see the WWDC keynote? It was long, detail-packed and it culminated in Apple’s “One More Thing”—the phrase it reserves for its biggest new releases. It was for Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset that’s far in advance of rival devices.

I didn’t think Apple would announce the price of the Vision Pro, given that it’s months away. It didn’t tell us how much Apple Watch would cost when that was One More Thing back in 2014. But Apple has spilled the pricing beans, explaining that Vision Pro will cost from $3,499.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple is “already working on a cheaper model to get the new product category onto the faces of more people.”

In one way, this is not at all surprising: Apple thinks ahead and will have had a roadmap in place for years for its newest product. But a cheaper model is more of a surprise. Normally, the route is upwards: AirPods came first, then AirPods Pro, and iPad Pro and iPhone Pro also appeared some way down the line.

But the Vision Pro was announced, so will a more affordable version be far behind? “Apple is already at work on a cheaper version of the headset that will help it sell more units,” Gurman says. “The name Vision Pro even implies there’s a non-Pro version in the works, which one has to assume will be called the Apple Vision or Apple Vision One.”

Given that Gurman didn’t correctly predict the name of the current model, I think we don’t have to assume that, though it’s possible he’ll be right. Where I agree with him is that a more affordable version will be hard to achieve. “It won’t be an easy task to pull that off while making money: the $3,499 price of the Vision Pro is at or near the cost to make it,” he says.

And while initial expectations of the headset were skeptical, practically every person who actually tried the Vision Pro on was blown away by it. Gurman says savings could come from stripping out speakers and relying on separately purchased AirPods for audio, which I think is possible. But his suggestion that Apple will switch to “lower quality screens” seems less likely to me. The displays are a big part of what makes Vision Pro irresistible and I can’t see the company compromising here. Could it remove the 3D camera, as Gurman suggests? Maybe, but these seem to be a natural byproduct of the two-camera design.

Apple Vision Pro.

David Phelan

If these things can happen, how much cheaper will the more affordable version be? Not that much, it seems: “Combined with a more refined production process, economies of scale and a cheaper frame, I’d imagine Apple could knock several hundred dollars off the price.”

That’s still over $3,000, so hardly an affordable option like the iPhone SE is compared to the iPhone Pro models.

I’m sure Apple would like to make a headset that’s cheaper and more accessible, but I think it will concentrate on economies of scale rather than downgrading components.

Gurman reckons the newer model will go on sale at the end of 2025, so there’s plenty of time to finesse such a device. He also claims there’s a second Pro on the way, “with a faster processor, indicating it’s intent on a two-product strategy for the device in line with the standard iPhone and iPhone Pro models.”

One thing is clear, Apple is betting big on the Vision Pro, and all that comes after.

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