Just a year and a half after launching the Vision Pro, Apple has reportedly hit the brakes on development of its ambitious “spatial computing” platform. According to multiple reports, the company has stopped work on both the planned Vision Air and Vision Pro 2 models, pivoting instead toward a longer-term push into smart glasses.
The Vision Pro was pitched as the future of computing when it debuted in early 2024 – but despite the technical wizardry behind it, the $3,499 headset failed to find a mainstream audience. Its bulk, limited comfort, and high price tag made it a tough sell beyond hardcore early adopters. New immersive films might help to impress, but we haven’t heard much else from Apple in the past year.
While the hardware itself was impressive, most users found the Vision Pro better suited to immersive entertainment at home than everyday productivity or social use. Gaming, in particular, has been a missed opportunity. Meta’s far cheaper Quest 3 dominates that space thanks to its comfort, affordability, and huge library of VR titles. Apple’s closed ecosystem has so far made it hard to compete.
Apple had been working on a lighter and more affordable Vision Air, aimed at cutting both price and weight. But according to Bloomberg, even that plan has now been shelved. Instead, Apple is expected to quietly refresh the current Vision Pro with an M5 chip and new headband – likely to clear existing stock rather than signal a long-term commitment.
It’s unlikely, though, that Apple will abandon mixed reality altogether. The company has reportedly redirected resources toward developing smart glasses, a product category that competitors are already forging ahead with. Apple doesn’t usually rush to market, but if these reports are true it could be uncharacteristically concerned with falling behind. It’s underwhelming AI rollout might have something to do with that. Though similarly categorized as mixed-reality spatial computing, Apple Glasses would likely serve a very different purpose than Apple Vision: mainly notifications, glanceable information, and contextual assistance with Apple Intelligence. That might signal that both devices could coexist in the future.
In the meantime, the Vision Pro remains an impressive but niche device that Apple seems happy to neglect, if only temporarily.