Apple Vision Pro buyers' beware – 2025 model rumoured to cost half

If you’re mulling splashing out the big bucks for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset, here’s a little food for thought – there may be an option that halves the asking price just a year later.

With the $3,499 Vision Pro arriving in the United States in early 2024, Apple enthusiasts will be popping the pennies in the piggy bank in the hope of snagging a first-generation model.

However, a new supply chain report brings more credence to a recent Bloomberg piece claiming the second generation model could cost around half as much.

Digitimes hasn’t always been the most reliable source of information – so bear that in mind if you’re basing a potential purchase decision on this – but its supply chain connections believe Apple is trying to reduce the bill of materials cost by around 50% for the next-gen model.

“It is understood that the bill of materials (BOM) cost for the affordable version is half that of the first-generation Vision Pro,” the report says.

Should that be true, a second generation headset might cost somewhere between $1,500 and $2,500 – to use Bloomberg’s estimate.

Much will likely depend on how much Apple is looking to improve its profit margins on the second generation model. First-gen product margins are notoriously slim, so it’s no guarantee that the majority of any savings in the manufacturing of the sequel would be passed on to the consumers.

However, Apple also knows that at three-and-a-half grand, there is zero chance that Vision Pro will be able to foist itself onto mainstream eyeballs.

Last month’s Bloomberg report suggested Apple may cut the cost by dropping one of the key features. The EyeSight tool, which will alert users to the presence of others and make space for them in the reality, might fall by the wayside.

That would be a shame, as it’s one of the few features that give Vision Pro a sense the wearer isn’t completely shutting off from the outside world. However, as 9to5Mac points out, this isn’t necessarily a feature that benefits the user, only those around them.