If the Apple Vision Pro headset’s $3,500 price tag is too much for you to handle, you may be tempted to hold off buying it for the time being. After all, a second generation model should be along in the near future, right? Well you may have to wait a little longer than you expected.
According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the Apple Vision Pro 2 is at least 18 months away from release. So unlike iPhones or Apple Watches, you probably can’t just wait a year in the hopes that the next model is a little better. Granted 18 months isn’t that much longer, but there’s still every chance that the next Vision headset doesn’t arrive quite so quickly.
After all, we'd been hearing rumors about the impending release of an Apple headset a few years before it actually arrived. Some rumors even suggested the Vision Pro would launch in 2022, almost two years before the device actually went on sale.
Gurman notes that reception to the Vision Pro proves it’s still a work in progress, backing up his previous comments about how the headset is “essentially a prototype” and may take four generations to reach an “ideal state”. Basically it boils down to the fact the Vision Pro is heavy and doesn’t always work smoothly, which is not what you want after paying $3,500.
First generation Apple products often have their issues, and it stands to reason the Vision Pro would be no exception. Unfortunately we may just be waiting a while for those key hardware issues to be fixed, because these are not simple devices — and odds are the next generation is going to need time to get things right. At least 18 months, as Gurman points out.
In the meantime anyone who isn’t happy with their Vision Pro has the chance to return it — and evidently a lot of people are taking advantage of Apple’s 14-day returns policy. How many isn’t entirely clear, since Apple hasn’t released any returns figures.
Gurman returns data suggests that Vision Pro returns are “between average and above average compared with other products”. Though it does depend on location, and larger Apple Stores will be seeing higher rates of return for obvious reasons. As many as 8 or more in a single day.
However Gurman notes that there’s no sign of a crisis just yet, and Apple Store employees have been questioning buyers on why they want to return the headset — which is then passed onto store managers and later Apple HQ. That information can presumably be used to improve future development — and hopefully make the Vision Pro 2 a better product. Whenever it arrives, that is.
At least it gives you time to save up for the headset's gargantuan asking price.
