The Next Vision Pro Might Actually Make Sense

The original Apple Vision Pro was many things: a technological marvel, a flex for the early adopter crowd, and a subtle neck workout. It was also, let’s be real, a $3,500 experiment. Strapping nearly a kilogram of glass and sensors to your face—for entertainment, productivity, or even a FaceTime call—felt like peak Silicon Valley maximalism. Apple wasn’t just making a headset; it was trying to redefine the screen itself.

And for all the applause from developers and tech obsessives, the Vision Pro landed with a thud in the wider market. Amazing? Yes. Practical? Not really.

Now, Apple seems to be scaling back the ambition—and possibly scaling up the relevance.

From Hype Machine to Market Math

According to reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s next-gen headset will be lighter, cheaper, and rethought for the real world. Internally, it’s being positioned as more of a Vision “Air” than a Vision Pro 2. Less show-off, more show-up. Less demo-room fantasy, more couch-ready.

If the leaks are right, the new model will target a weight of around 650g (1.4 lbs), not including the battery pack. That’s a meaningful reduction from the nearly 1kg burden of the original model. For context, that’s like moving from a hardcover novel strapped to your face to a lightweight tablet. Still not subtle, but a lot more wearable.

This change isn’t just about comfort—it’s about course correction.

The Problem with Gen One

Apple’s first Vision Pro had a design problem it couldn’t ignore: gravity. No matter how stunning the micro-OLEDs were, or how seamless the passthrough video felt, you could only ignore the headset’s bulk for so long. Hour two of a Netflix binge started to feel like hour six at the chiropractor.

Reddit threads and YouTube reviews quickly filled up with hacks—custom counterweights, third-party straps, even 3D-printed support arms. When your users are retrofitting a $3,500 device just to wear it for more than an hour, that’s not innovation. That’s inertia.

Add in the eye-watering price tag and the limited app ecosystem (outside Apple’s own offerings), and the Vision Pro looked less like the future of computing and more like a very shiny, very expensive detour.

A Reality Check in Cupertino

Apple has never been afraid to recalibrate—remember the early MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard saga? Or the redesign of the Apple Watch Ultra after initial niche interest? The company often starts by building the most ambitious version of a product it can—then listens to reality.

With the next Vision headset, Apple appears to be doing just that. The goal now isn’t just impressing WWDC attendees—it’s getting actual consumers to care.

Weight reduction is only part of the fix. Gurman’s report suggests Apple will also cut costs through simplified internals—possibly fewer external cameras, more affordable build materials, and maybe even sacrificing the EyeSight feature (that eerie, uncanny outward-facing display of the user’s eyes).

While none of that sounds particularly exciting on paper, it’s exactly the kind of focus that could make the Vision line a product category instead of a punchline.

The Price Tag Problem

For all its tech bravado, the original Vision Pro landed at a price point that boxed out even many Apple fans. At $3,499, it cost more than most MacBook Pro setups, without offering a clearly better experience for productivity, entertainment, or social use.

A cheaper Vision model—say, in the $1,500 to $2,000 range—might actually hit a sweet spot. That’s still premium pricing, but within range for consumers who might otherwise buy a Mac and an iPad. Especially if the new device can deliver truly immersive workspaces, spatial video, and functional web browsing without the trade-offs of Gen One.

Apple has always been a luxury tech brand. But even luxury needs use cases.

Apple’s Mixed Reality Tightrope

The larger challenge for Apple is defining why the Vision line exists. The Mac has productivity. The iPhone is communication. The Apple Watch is health. What’s the core identity of Vision?

So far, Apple’s tried to frame it as everything: work, movies, fitness, video calls. But in doing so, it’s struggled to make it feel essential in any one domain.

The pivot toward a more accessible, comfortable headset suggests Apple may finally pick a lane. And if they’re smart, they’ll double down on entertainment and lightweight productivity.

Forget floating spreadsheets and immersive conference calls—give users something better than an iPad for watching movies, browsing Safari, and FaceTiming with grandparents. Let them watch Ted Lasso in 3D while lying on the couch, without pinching nerves in their neck.

The Quiet Evolution

There’s a reason Apple rarely launches hardware in finished form. The first iPhone didn’t even support third-party apps. The first Apple Watch focused on Digital Touch and weird sketch messaging. Both evolved over time into category-defining products. The Vision Pro could follow that same arc—if Apple makes the right second move.

The shift to a lighter, cheaper model isn’t a retreat. It’s a strategic evolution. Apple seems to understand that it can’t will a new computing paradigm into existence with flex alone. It has to meet people where they are—then slowly raise the bar.

What Comes Next

If Apple sticks to its usual spring cycle, the new Vision headset could arrive by early 2026. That gives developers time to expand the app ecosystem—and Apple time to fine-tune how it markets the product.

More importantly, it gives consumers time to forget the first-gen sticker shock and start imagining why they might want a face computer in the first place.

The Vision Air (or whatever it ends up being called) doesn’t need to replace your Mac or iPhone. It just needs to make sense. It needs to feel good, look good, and not weigh as much as a bowling ball.

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