According to a new report, Apple is definitely working on a cheaper Vision headset and will require a tethered iPhone or Mac to work.
Apple’s Cheaper Vision Headset is Going to be a Face Monitor that Uses the iPhone and Mac in Order to Work
We got wind of news a few days back that Apple has shelved its Vision Pro 2 plans. It did so in order to put its effort and time into a cheaper version of the headset. We have some details on the cheaper Vision headset today and it is going to be an interesting little device.
In his newsletter called Power On, Mark Gurman suggests that the new Vision headset will require a tethered connection to an iPhone or Mac. This also means that the headset will not be a standalone piece of hardware like how the current Vision Pro is. Instead, it will use the processing power of a connected device to make things happen. This is a huge step to bring the price of the headset down, but do keep in mind that you need to own an iPhone or Mac in order to make use of this headset. Apple’s definitely playing some 4D chess here.
Unlike the Vision Pro, the cheaper headset is said to have a tighter field of view in passthrough mode. I’m not sure if that’s a huge deal breaker, but if you like walking around the house while wearing a mixed reality headset, that wider field of view will definitely come in handy. The cheaper headset might force you to sit or lie down while using it.
The report further adds that Apple is aiming to launch the cheaper Vision headset at the end of 2025 while plans for Vision Pro 2 is still on the cards, just slightly delayed.
The idea of using the Vision headset as a ‘second screen’ for your iPhone or Mac is not new at all. Apple has been doing this for a long time with CarPlay. You connect your iPhone to the car’s infotainment using a cable or Wi-Fi connection and you can control some parts of the phone in a neat little UI.
Come to think of it, it makes sense to use an iPhone with the Vision headset. After all, you do use iPad apps in visionOS and iPhone apps are just iPadOS apps rendered on a small screen. Drag them from the corner and boom, you have the complete iPadOS experience on an external screen. In short, Apple is going to sell us a monitor which we strap to our face to do this.
Apple silicon Macs already run iPadOS and iOS apps, so it perfectly fits how Apple plans to navigate its cheaper Vision headset.
