This is how Apple plans to make the next Vision Pro cheaper

If like me you think the EyeSight feature in Apple's Vision Pro headset, which uses screens to show images of your eyes to people around you, is really creepy then we've got some good news about Apple's next headset: EyeSight looks like it's going to be binned.

EyeSight isn't going to be the only casualty. Apple knows its Vision Pro is too expensive, so it's busy cutting corners to make a much more affordable version of its VR/AR headset. The goal is to bring it down to something much closer in price to the iPhone, albeit the iPhone 15 Pro Max rather that the iPhone SE.

That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who says that Apple has two versions of the Vision Pro in development: a more affordable, more consumer-focused version, and a new Pro for big spenders and app developers.

What do we know about the next Vision Pro?

According to Gurman, the more affordable Vision Pro will have lower resolution displays and an iPhone-class chip rather than a Mac-class one. The external displays that make EyeSight possible are going too, and Apple is apparently also reducing the number of external cameras and sensors. 

The goal is to seriously cut down the price, which is currently $3,500. According to Gurman, the numbers being talked about inside Apple range from $1,500 to $2,500. That's still very expensive, of course, but if Apple can get close to the first number it'd bring the headset into the "pricey" bracket rather than the "remortgage your house" tier.

Gurman's sources tell him that Apple is also changing things around for the second generation Vision Pro, which will "have all the bells and whistles but be smaller and lighter". The add-on Zeiss lens are going, Gurman says, in favour of built-in prescription lenses. As we reported a few days ago, that could make the second Vision Pro a tough sell, not least because it'll be tough to resell.

The Vision Pro is an impressive device, but Apple has reportedly revised its sales expectations downwards and the device still isn't shipping: Apple says it's coming "early next year", so it could still be six months away or more. As for the second generation and the more affordable model, they're clearly not going to launch any time soon.

That means the VR space is still wide open, with competitors such as Samsung with its XR Headset and Meta with the Meta Quest 3 keen to attract the customers Apple currently isn't catering for.