Apple delays Vision Pro 2 to 2028: betting on glasses and AI devices

Apple has delayed the launch of the next generation Vision Pro by at least two years — the successor will not appear before 2028. At the same time, the company is fundamentally changing its strategy: it is moving most of its AR team to develop smart glasses and compact wearable AI devices. This will reorient Apple's entire vector in the wearable gadgets space.

Why Vision Pro Failed

Vision Pro costs $3499 — the price of a premium smartphone for a device that people wear for a few hours a week. In its first year, the headset never became a mass-market product, despite Apple's marketing. Demand proved significantly more modest than the company expected. Apple faced a harsh reality: the market for expensive mixed reality headsets simply had not matured.

The company, accustomed to abandoning failed projects, decided not to pursue expensive enhancements. Instead, the company is reassessing its entire approach. Shifting the company's best engineers from the AR department is not just a personnel shuffle. It is a strategic decision: to invest resources in form factors that can realistically become mass-market products.

New Bet: Glasses and AI Assistants

Apple is focusing on two directions that are potentially more promising:

• Smart AR glasses — lightweight glasses with an information layer, not a headset, but actual glasses to wear throughout the day
• Wearable AI devices — compact bracelets or chips for voice interaction and a personal assistant
• Ecosystem integration — glasses and AI devices as extensions of iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac
• Affordable pricing — target range $500–$1500, not $3500

This strategy is more grounded, but also more practical: people need information throughout the day, not immersion in virtual reality for several hours.

A Signal of Reassessment

Apple has not officially confirmed information about the team reallocation, but such reorientations are a telling signal. History shows that the company knows how to wind down failed projects: iPod gave way to iPhone, iPhone still dominates, Apple Watch found its niche. Vision Pro was an expensive experimental project from which the company is drawing lessons. For the entire industry, it means: don't get stuck in the trap of expensive devices if the market is asking for something simpler.

What This Means

Apple admits it rushed into Vision Pro. The next wave will be practical, affordable AR glasses and AI assistants. This will reorient the entire wearable gadgets industry: from a race for impressive expensive headsets to searching for meaning in cheap, useful everyday devices.