Apple shifts mixed-reality strategy toward smart glasses

Apple appears to be rethinking its mixed-reality roadmap. According to Bloomberg and The Information, development of not only Vision Pro 2 but also the more affordable Vision Air has been put on hold. Instead, the company is concentrating on smart glasses as the next step in spatial computing.

When Vision Pro debuted in 2023, it was presented as the beginning of a new era, with comparisons drawn to the launch of the iPhone. Yet the steep price, hefty form factor, and limited real-world scenarios quickly cooled excitement, even among Apple loyalists.

Initially, Apple planned a pared-back Vision Air—thinner, lighter, and nearly half the price of the original. The effort ran into headwinds: engineers couldn’t cut costs without shedding key features, and the release slipped to late 2025.

By then, rumors suggested Apple had begun dialing back Vision Pro production due to soft demand and a surplus of components. Now, if the sources are right, work on both models has been frozen altogether.

Still, Apple isn’t walking away from spatial computing. An updated M5 Vision Pro is said to be on the way, featuring a new M5 chip, an improved headband, and modest design tweaks. It won’t rewrite the rulebook, but it should keep the product relevant for a few more years—a pragmatic move, given the circumstances.

The primary push is shifting to smart glasses, which could mark the next phase for augmented reality. Their debut is expected in 2026, and analysts believe this will set the course for Apple’s direction in the category.

With Vision Pro in limbo, one question lingers: will Apple be the first to make us see the world through tomorrow’s lenses, or is this simply a pause before the next breakthrough?