According to recent announcements, the lack of an affordable price and an expanded app ecosystem has meant that the Apple Vision Pro has never truly felt like a home product, and the latest evidence is that production of the headset is set to end this year. The company has encountered a setback with its budget model, and while it was previously stated that the device would launch in 2025, production has been pushed back to 2027. An update on the matter states that Apple can still turn the headset business into a $25 billion endeavour, provided a variety of products can fill this category, including a pair of smart glasses connected to an iPhone.
For now, we have the first-generation Apple Vision Pro, but the tech giant has more products in store to expand the line-up, starting with an affordable version that has been delayed. Fortunately, the company plans to bring the same mixed-reality experience to a convenient pair of smart glasses, with Apple considering launching glasses that will connect to an iPhone to handle some of the processing.
Naturally, Apple still needs to find new sources of growth. The iPhone isn’t going anywhere, but it’s also not driving sales gains like it used to. What’s the solution? To grow, the company can’t simply wait for a new big opportunity; it needs several new categories of devices at the level of the iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. This is easier said than done. During the development of the Vision Pro, executives aspired to make the device a success on the scale of an Apple Watch, which now seems unlikely. But perhaps a broader line of Vision wearables (including smart glasses, augmented reality glasses, and wearable displays connected to the iPhone) could become a $25 billion business.