Apple Vision Pro Successor to Feature Smaller and Lighter Design, Will Be Easier to Wear: Mark Gurman

Facebook parent Meta is looking to reduce the prices of its upcoming mixed reality headsets, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 9 October 2023 11:38 IST

Apple Vision Pro Successor to Feature Smaller and Lighter Design, Will Be Easier to Wear: Mark Gurman

Photo Credit: Apple

The Apple Vision Pro will be powered by an external battery pack

Highlights

Apple Vision Pro is reportedly causing neck strain due to size and weight
The company's first wearable headset will go on sale next year
Apple is already working on a smaller and lighter Vision Pro successor

Apple Vision Pro is set to go on sale in early 2024, but the iPhone maker is reportedly at work on a successor to the first-generation device. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writes in his weekly Power On newsletter that Apple is focussing on lowering both the weight and size of the second-generation Vision Pro headset. On the other hand, Facebook parent Meta is working towards reducing the price of its upcoming headsets, shortly after the company unveiled the Meta Quest 3.

Unveiled earlier this year at Apple's WWDC 2023 event in June, the Apple Vision Pro won't go on sale for a few more months — but Apple is already working on a successor to the wearable device, according to details shared by Gurman. Testing has revealed that the weight and size of the Vision Pro has led to neck strain, and the second-generation device could have a lighter and smaller build.

Gurman also discusses some of the other hurdles that the Apple Vision Pro is facing, including users who wear spectacles. With the first-generation headset, users will have to purchase prescription lenses from Zeiss that will be attached to the headset magnetically. However, he points out that doing so could make sharing the device much harder, especially if two people have different prescription glasses.

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An employee at Meta told Gurman that the company was watching Apple ahead of the debut of its wearable headset next year. Both devices are marketed towards customers who want either productivity or gaming, and Meta has reportedly shifted away from its metaverse pitch to align itself with its latest competitor, Apple.

While Apple is said to be working on reducing the size of its next headset, Meta is looking to make its next headset cheaper than the Quest 3, to make it more accessible to customers. According to Gurman, the company could achieve this by selling the headset without included controllers and requiring customers to purchase them separately.

Meta's recently unveiled Ray-Ban sunglasses do not offer any AR functionality, aside from capturing images and videos, taking calls and listening to music. The company plans to launch glasses with AR displays by 2025, according to Gurman.

Analyst Predicts Apple Vision Pro 2 Won't Arrive Until 2027

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: Apple Vision Pro 2, Apple Vision Pro weight, Apple Vision Pro headset, Mixed Reality, Augmented Reality, AR, Vision Pro, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest headsets, Meta

David Delima

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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More