1. Apple has reportedly ceased development of the Vision Pro headset due to poor consumer interest and high return rates.
2. The company is shifting focus toward developing more affordable smart glasses, rather than high-end VR headsets.
3. Key executives, including CEO-elect John Ternus, favor products with broader market appeal over experimental hardware like the Vision Pro.
4. Competition in the XR market remains strong, with Meta, Samsung, and others continuing to develop and release new devices.
Apple’s Vision Pro Project Seems to Have Hit a Dead End
According to what a lotta sources are saying, Apple has kinda given up on its Vision Pro headset after the recent M5 update didn’t really do well with consumers. The new update in October 2025 brought in the snazzy new M5 chip along with a more comfortable “Dual Knit Band,” but people still didn’t seem to care much. The $3,499 price tag was a big turn off, and the 1.3-pound weight felt like wearing a small football helmet. Like, who wants that for work or just everyday YouTube bingeing?
Sales Figures and User Feedback
- Headset sales total just about 600,000 units, which isn’t very impressive.
- There’s also talk about how many people are returning the headset, and it’s way higher than what you’d see with most other Apple stuff like the Mac Pro wheels which are $1,000.
Insiders say Apple has now officially stopped working on the Vision Pro and has shifted its tech team to different projects. Interestingly, there used to be plans for a cheaper version called “Vision Air” last year, but that’s been scrapped too. The big boss overseeing the Vision Pro, Mike Rockwell, has now switched gears and is leading Apple’s Siri team. So, it’s up to us to see if that move will bear fruit, especially with Google’s new Gemini AI models helping Siri now.
Leadership Changes And Future Plans
Apparently, Apple’s new CEO-elect, John Ternus, wasn’t all that into the Vision Pro to begin with, even though Tim Cook really loved it. It looks like Ternus prefers more practical and broadly appealing products over shiny, niche gadgets. Looks like he might want Apple’s future tech to be more about everyday stuff that most people would actually want to buy instead of high-end, experimental gear. This difference in visions could be why the development stopped, but personally, not much detailed info is out there.
Shift Toward Smart Glasses and the Competition
Even though the Vision Pro M5 is still available for now, Apple seems to be changing its game plan. Instead of high-end VR gear, they are focusing more on making smart glasses. These glasses are supposed to look just like Ray-Ban Meta glasses, emphasizing AI features but without any big screens. And the cool part? They’re expected to be way more affordable.
The XR market isn’t slowing down at all. Meta still rules the scene, though there’s talk that the Quest 4 might not come out until 2027. Samsung continues to make and sell their Galaxy XR headset, and they’re apparently working on the Galaxy Glasses to try to compete with Apple’s emerging smart glasses line.
Just a reminder though, Apple hasn’t officially confirmed they are stopping the Vision Pro project, so take all this news with a grain of salt. The device is still technically on sale, and official plans might still change down the line.
