Report: Apple Turns Focus to Lower-Price Headset Amid Slower Sales

Apple has reportedly paused its work on its next high-end Vision Pro mixed-reality headset and chosen to focus on a more affordable, less full-featured version.

The company originally planned to offer two models of the Vision — as it does with its iPhone — but is now working on only the more affordable version, Reuters reported Tuesday (June 18), citing a paywalled article by The Information.

The Information’s article cited unnamed sources, according to the report.

The more affordable headset is expected to be released before the end of 2025, while the successor to the $3,500 Vision Pro has been sidelined, with fewer employees assigned to work on it, the report said.

The Vision Pro headset has seen demand slow since its introduction, per the report.

Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

The company launched the Vision Pro — Apple’s first mixed-reality headset — on Feb. 2 with 600 new apps and games available for it.

During an earnings call held the day before, on Feb. 1, Apple executives said that the headset may find use within enterprises and that Walmart, Nike and others were examining ways to harness the Vision Pro for their customers or employees to help improve everyday productivity.

By Feb. 15, it was reported that while the headset had made waves in the tech community, early feedback reported that some users were encountering difficulties with the device.

Comfort, headaches and eye strain were among the primary reasons prompting early adopters to return their headsets. Some users who planned to return the Vision Pro said they were open to trying a second-generation version.

PYMNTS’ Karen Webster wrote on May 7 that Apple’s troubles with the headset were part of a larger problem that had seen the HomePod flop and the company’s connected car project shuttered.

“Like most AR/VR headsets, the Vision Pro seems a niche product that got a PR and fanboy pop but seems to struggle to gain adoption,” Webster wrote.

On May 13, as Apple was preparing to begin selling the Vision Pro outside of the United States, it was reported that the headset had not taken off the way the company’s other devices had.