• Reports suggest Apple has its second-generation Vision Pro headset in the works.
• The first device is yet to hit the market, with no precise date in 2024 confirmed for its availability.
• The next Vision Pro will be focusing on wearer comfort in particular.

In June this year, Apple used its annual WWDC developer conference to reveal its much-hyped Vision Pro “spatial computing” headset. The $3 700 (~R71 800) XR (augmented/virtual) offering is yet to officially hit the market, with no definitive date outlined for its early 2024 release.

That, however, has not stopped Apple from thinking about the second generation of Vision Pro.

Detailed in his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman unpacked some of the reports and feedback he’s received from Apple on what it’s planning next for the headset.

To that end, comfort looks to be what Apple is focusing on. This as the current model, which has been tested out mainly by a handful of overseas media to date, does suffer from some comfort issues.

Given that many of the use cases that Apple has envisioned for this product involve consumers wearing it for long periods of time, whether at a desk in the office, or sitting on the couch at home, if it is not suitable to wear for extended sessions, it starts to lose a bit of its lustre.

“It currently weighs about a pound, and testing has shown that it can feel too heavy for some users — even in short stretches. Apple is considering addressing this on the first model with an over-the-head strap, but making the hardware lighter is a better long-term solution,” writes Gurman.

“Another challenge is making the headset simpler for people who wear glasses. During development of the first Vision Pro, Apple decided to slim down the device by omitting room for prescription eyeglasses. Instead, the company teamed up with Zeiss to sell prescription lenses that attach to the headset’s displays magnetically,” he adds.

It therefore seems, despite being quite impressive in terms of the technology, materials, and functionality, the Vision Pro still suffers from the same problem that many other headsets do – human beings can only wear them for so long before feeling discomfort.

With a second generation Vision Pro seemingly on the way, it will be interesting to see whether people will fork out thr roughly R70k it will cost to get one, if it indeed lands in SA.