Apple is scrapping plans for a budget-friendly, lighter Vision headset, pivoting to smart glasses instead. This shift indicates Apple sees the Vision Pro’s fully enclosed headset design as unsuitable for mass-market appeal in the near term (duh).
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The company’s most premium products, such as the Mac Pro or Pro Display XDR, exist mainly to serve small but dedicated professional audiences. Though the Vision Pro could well join that camp, it has struggled to build much of a following so far.
After a decade of development and billions in spending, the headset remains an impressive but limited device. Beyond its steep price, hefty weight and meager app ecosystem, the Vision Pro’s enclosed design limits its appeal. It’s not something most people can wear for hours a day or use in all settings.
Smart glasses, however, are a different story. After I tested Meta’s new Ray-Ban Displays, it’s clear to me how compelling this form factor can be. The ability to view messages, take calls, and capture photos or video hands-free feels natural — and far more accessible than donning a bulky headset.
Yes, Meta’s current glasses still feel like a prototype. But they show enormous promise.
The faster Apple brings glasses to market, the better positioned it will be to compete with Meta. That company has already pivoted from headset-focused development to a glasses focus.
That doesn’t mean the Vision Pro is finished. Apple is refreshing the headset with a faster chip and will likely deliver a full redesign at the $3,000-plus price level eventually. At some point, the Vision Pro could sit atop a full lineup of “Vision” wearable gear. Smart glasses without a display would be at the low end, followed by display-equipped versions, true augmented reality spectacles and the high-end headset.
MacDailyNews Take: When all is said and done, Meta will be a footnote in the smart glasses market.
Meta’s glasses are hardly smart, nor are they a threat to Apple. There is no substitute for Apple’s vast ecosystem. As soon as Apple releases its first pair of smart glasses it will quickly become that nascent market’s leader. – MacDailyNews, October 2, 2025
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