Apple expands Vision Pro universe: new M5 chip, glasses and budget version delays

Apple is set to launch an upgraded Vision Pro headset featuring an unannounced M5 chip in 2025, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The current Vision Pro model is powered by the M2 chip, which debuted in 2022.

Kuo did not specify whether the updated Vision Pro model will include any new features or changes compared to the existing version, which was released earlier this year. At the same time, Apple has postponed the release of a more affordable version of the Vision Pro until "after 2027," the analyst states. The current Vision Pro model starts at $3,499, and this high price has undoubtedly limited sales volumes.

"With a price of $3,500, this is not a mass-market product," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a recent interview when asked about the Vision Pro. "At the moment, it is a product for early adopters. The people who want to have tomorrow's technology today are the ones for whom it was created. Fortunately, there are enough of those people to make it interesting."

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also mentioned Apple's plans regarding the Vision device lineup. Like Kuo, Gurman noted that Apple is planning a "chip upgrade" for the Vision Pro but did not clarify whether this will occur in 2025. He also believes that Apple is continuing to develop a more affordable version of the Vision Pro headset with "simplified technology." However, Gurman did not provide any information on the release timeline for this device.

Additionally, Gurman stated that Apple is "seriously considering" releasing a glasses-like device that would connect to the iPhone.

"I continue to hear that Apple is seriously looking into a device that would rely on the iPhone's computational components and serve as an accessory for watching movies," he said. "It would be something like the glasses offered by companies such as Xreal. The advantage for Apple is that it would strengthen the iPhone as the center of the company's product ecosystem and offer something much more popular than the Vision Pro at $3,500."

Source: macrumors