a second generation very close to the first?

Apple is actively preparing for the launch of the Vision Pro, its first mixed reality headset which should give substance to the idea of “spatial computing” dear to the manufacturer. But of course, the company is not going to stop with this first attempt! Other models are in development, a second generation could also be marketed at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

The Vision Pro will launch in the United States early next year, and everything suggests that it will be sooner rather than later. Apple will then take its first steps in “spatial computing”, and the road will be very long before this vision materializes in the form of a light and space-saving device… like glasses, for example.

A simpler design for a lower price?

We should therefore expect a certain number of iterations and improvements through future generations of the headset. The next model should not shake up the fundamentals of the first modelaccording to MacRumors who gets it from a source said to be reliable. The second generation helmet is internally codenamed “Project Alaska” and has the identifier N109.

In terms of design, we probably won’t be disoriented since Apple has kept the same design as the first generation, including the placement of the different buttons and the external battery. On the other hand, the speakers integrated into the strap would not be in the current rounded area; there would actually be no outgrowth, the surface would simply be flat and uniform.

Two different configurations for the top vents were reportedly tested, one similar to the first model, the other featuring two sets of small holes similar to those in the speakers. The documentation also refers to an external audio accessory (headphones?). The headband at the back would be revised, with a simplified design reminiscent of backpack straps.

This simplification could allow Apple to reduce the cost of components and therefore the price of the device. Remember that the first model will be sold for $3,500. But a priori, we are not talking about the “low cost” version that the manufacturer would have in mind to democratize its technology a little more.

Read Vision Pro “low cost”: Apple ready to make big sacrifices

MacRumors also gives a first list of components expected in this second generation, and unsurprisingly we find the same as for next year’s model: two micro OLED screens, a TrueDepth camera, two RGB cameras, two infrared illuminators, a semi-automatic system -automatic interpupillary distance adjustment, four computer vision cameras, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, an ambient light sensor and a compass.

This new helmet would enter the product validation testing (PVT) phase in 2025, and if all goes well it could be launched at the end of this year or even early 2026.

Source :

MacRumors