Mixed reality headsets are a niche product, but the big problem for the Apple Vision Pro is that it's a niche within a niche: at a starting price of $3,499, you could get seven Meta Quest 3 headsets at MSRP at launch, if you wanted to go even higher, You could buy 11 of the recently announced Quest 3S

Since then, mixed reality sales have been slow for Apple, but the company is not ready to throw in the towel on this product category just yet; Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, in the latest issue of his newsletter, Power On, discusses what Apple calls spatial computing outlines a roadmap for mixed reality headsets over the next few years as it seeks to popularize the

According to Garman, this could begin “as early as next year” with “low-cost Vision headsets” He expects weaker processors, cheaper materials, and the complete removal of EyeSight (the ability to view the user's eyes from the outside) The goal of these reductions is to make them more affordable

However, it is worth emphasizing that “more affordable” does not necessarily equate to “affordable,” with Garman predicting a price of $2,000 Apple is expecting twice the sales of the Vision Pro, but as Garman points out, “that doesn't make much sense”

This seems to pave the way for a true second generation of Vision Pro in 2026, but Garman is less clear about what will change next time He only states that the headset will feature a faster chipset, but it is not hard to imagine that Apple is also trying to address weight and general comfort concerns

In 2027, along with AirPods with cameras, Apple may try again with Meta, which is reportedly “considering launching a smart glasses equivalent to Meta Ray-Bans Despite (or perhaps because of) its limited technical features, the glasses are a surprising success story for Meta, and we found the second generation to be a significant improvement over the first

This nicely sums up the problem Apple faces in this area: who knows what Meta will be doing with this technology by 2027? The company has indicated its direction with the Project Orion prototype, but if even some of the promising technology becomes commercially viable in the next three years, Apple products comparable to those available today may look decidedly dated

But Apple, despite Meta's intimidating start, has two major advantages: first, it has what Garman calls a “stable revenue base,” with about $400 billion a year going into R&D (Meta earned $134 billion in 2023); and second, it has the ability to invest in new technologies, including a new one that will allow it to make more money in the future

Another is that Apple has made the privacy of its products an important selling point While wearable technology feels more comprehensive and invasive, it may still be Apple's secret weapon in the smart glasses arena