If you’ve been concerned about dropping $3,499 on an Apple Vision Pro headset only for Apple to release a successor shortly thereafter, you may be in for some good news.
According to reliable Apple reporter Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the next iteration of the VR/AR headset could be some time away.
“Apple Inc. is probably at least 18 months away from launching a second-generation Vision Pro,” Gurman explains as part of his latest Power On newsletter..
Gurman brings up the potential for a second-generation Vision Pro while discussing complaints with the first-generation, notably the weight, narrow field of view, and more which has led to some early adopters returning their units.
“Returns are normal, and happen for all sorts of reasons,” Gurman explains.
“But the Vision Pro is unique. If you’ve already bought one, chances are you’re a diehard Apple fan or an early adopter of new technology. That group, one would assume, is far less likely than the normal iPhone or iPad buyer to send something back.”
It’s a fair point and 18 months could be quite a while to wait for a second-generation headset in space that’s growing increasingly competitive – as shown by Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s weird ‘review’ of the product.
Gurman’s newsletter is full of experiences from creatives and power users alike from the tech world, and it’s hardly glowing from many of them.
Apple’s second-generation history
Apple tends to enter a new product line offering a more premium experience that you can’t find anywhere else, but it sounds as though that’s not quite what can be found on Vision Pro right now.
That’s not to say it’s a bad experience, more that it’s in need of refinement. That’s something that’s not uncommon from any product aimed at early adopters, but there are reasons to be optimistic for the next headset even if it is 18 months away.
As Gurman notes, the original iPhone didn’t have 3G connectivity, the ability to cut or paste, and the App Store that’s so synonymous with the product now. The Apple Watch was slow and not waterproof, too.
The iPad was pretty much just a big iPhone, although you could argue that’s still the same in many use cases.
Here’s hoping the second-generation Vision Pro fixes the issues customers are having with the first. Besides, it’s not all bad – at least TikTok is on visionOS.
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