Apple’s Next Vision Headset on ‘Life Support,’ Says Report

Apple’s next Vision headset project faces an uncertain future as Apple reassesses its mixed reality strategy. The upcoming device has reportedly been delayed while Apple weighs whether the product line can gain wider adoption.

The Vision Pro launched in February 2024 with a $4,000 price tag but has struggled to reach mainstream buyers. Retail employees reportedly say many stores are “lucky to sell one unit a month,” while Apple has focused on professional uses. The news was first reported by Mark Gurman in Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter.

Apple’s N224 headset project is currently on “life support” as the company considers whether to continue development. If it moves forward, the device would not arrive until late 2028 or early 2029.

Engineers are exploring four designs, including a Meta-style external computing pack. Some senior Apple leaders reportedly believe that approach creates a poor user experience and prefer an all-in-one headset.

Previous Vision projects have been cancelled, including N107, which moved computing to a Mac to reduce bulk while keeping visual quality, Vision Air (N100), which shifted components to an external pack, and N109, a lighter and cheaper Vision Pro with a weaker chip. A Mac Studio-sized accessory that would wirelessly send data to the headset was killed by Apple’s design team.

Under CEO John Ternus, Vision hardware leadership has been reorganized, with Johny Srouji serving as chief hardware officer. Fletcher Rothkopf reports to Tom Marieb, while Paul Meade left for OpenAI in June after his role was reduced. Apple has laid off staff.

Ternus has questioned the appeal of a costly headset. He has publicly said, “We’re going to continue to grow and find more and more compelling use cases… there’s a very bright future,” while privately describing it as “most likely just a stepping stone” toward standalone AR glasses.