The ‘cheaper’ version of the Apple Vision Pro could come with significant trade-offs, according to a new report.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says a more affordable Vision Pro may need to be tethered to an iPhone or a Mac. That would negate the need for the Vision Pro to have such powerful processors inside the headset itself and potentially enable the price to be cut significantly.
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As the user has already has to carry a battery pack tethered to the headset, adding an iPhone in the same pocket wouldn’t be too big of a burden for users. A Mac, on the other hand, would be limit the ability for users to move around wearing the Vision Pro, akin to the PlayStation VR range
According to the latest Power On newsletter, a lower-cost device (codenamed N107, sources say), would also have a narrower field of vision than the original. Apple hasn’t said just how wide the field of view is, but it’s thought to be around 100-degrees.
“Prototypes of the N107 also have a narrower field of view than the Vision Pro. And the company is considering making the device reliant on a tethered Mac or iPhone,” Gurman wrote. “That would let Apple save money on the processing power and components needed to make the Vision Pro a fully standalone product.”
Gurman says might be available by the end of next year. Earlier this month we reported on speculation Apple had canned the high-end Vision Pro 2 in favour of the cheaper option.
However, Gurman reports it was always Apple’s plan to build a cheaper version before a full second generation model. Gurman says that model is currently considered “less of a priority” but is still being worked on. Gurman reckons it’ll be 2026 at the earliest before it arrives.
