Apple Vision Pro 2 still on the cards, could come as soon as next year

Apple announced its Vision Pro back in June 2023 at its Worldwide Developer Conference, but the headset was only made available in the UK in July this year. And ever since we've had speculation on a cheaper version – after all, the current Vision Pro is out of reach for many, priced at £3,499 / $3,499.

However, recent reports have suggested that Apple's plans for a more affordable alternative have been put on the back-burner, in order to focus on a 2nd generationm full fledged headset instead.

That suggestion initially came from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and has now been supported by Apple expert Mark Gurman from Bloomberg. In his latest Power On newsletter, he claims the Apple Vision Pro 2 is expected to arrive sometime between fall of 2025 and spring of 2026.

The current Apple Vision Pro runs on Apple's M2 chip, which when it launched, was the latest and most powerful chip offered by the company. Things never stand still though, and with the latest Macs and the iPad Pro now running on the M4 chip, it's perhaps not surprising that rumours are suggesting the 2nd generation Vision Pro will see a processor upgrade.

The Apple Vision Pro 2 is rumoured to be arriving on the upcoming M5 chip, and if Gurman's timing is accurate, it would suggest it would arrive around the same time, or not long after, next year's new Macs. Typically, we see new Macs towards the end of October.

The design isn't expected to change much, with the Bloomberg journalist saying: "Apple is working on several ideas for its Vision headset line, but at least one version of the second-generation Vision Pro – assuming it’s released – will look almost entirely like the current design. The big changes are internal, including a processor upgrade."

The current Apple Vision Pro has recently seen an update to the visionOS 2 software, which includes new Wide and Ultra Wide display options when using Mac Virtual Display, along with transforming existing photos in your photo library and making them spatial.

The software also introduced new gestures for easier navigation, the ability to edit your home screen, and Bora Bora was introduced as one of the new Environments.

For now, the Apple Vision Pro 2 is only a rumour and seemingly at least a year from arriving, if Gurman's reporting is accurate. But hey, a year flies by.