What's Going on with Apple Vision Pro?

Apple's second-generation Vision Pro features a new M5 chip and a redesigned comfort band, but remains largely unchanged otherwise, signaling Apple's potential shift in focus towards smart glasses due to limited mass appeal for high-end headsets.

• Second-gen Vision Pro gains M5 chip and a more comfortable band but retains core design.

• M5 chip offers incremental performance and battery life improvements, not a game-changer.

• Apple may be shifting focus from high-end headsets to more accessible smart glasses due to market trends.

The second-generation Apple Vision Pro, released two years after the original, incorporates the new M5 chip for faster app loading and longer battery life, alongside a significantly improved dual-knit comfort band featuring tungsten for weight distribution. Despite these upgrades, the device's core components, design, and price remain the same, reflecting Apple's realization that the Vision Pro may not be a mainstream hit. This stagnation, combined with the rise of more socially acceptable smart glasses, suggests Apple might be reallocating resources to develop its own smart glasses, indicating a potential strategic pivot in the mixed reality space.

Apple Silicon M5 Chip

• 00:00:14 Apple has updated several of its devices, including the Vision Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro, with the new M5 chip. This upgrade specifically targets devices using the base M-series chip, moving the Vision Pro from M2 to M5. The M5 chip offers incremental improvements such as faster app loading, the ability to render more pixels, and increased efficiency leading to longer battery life for the Vision Pro.

Vision Pro Design Changes

• 00:01:48 The 2025 Vision Pro largely retains the original's design, dimensions, materials, and core components like displays, cameras, sensors, and the R1 chip. While the device remains heavy and uncomfortable for extended wear, Apple's primary effort went into a new dual-knit band, which includes tungsten for better weight counterbalance and significantly enhances comfort, although it contributes to a slightly higher overall weight.

Impact of M5 on User Experience

• 00:04:43 The M5 chip brings noticeable, though not revolutionary, improvements to the Vision Pro's user experience, primarily through faster app loading and improved battery life. While a 10% increase in rendered pixels and a slightly faster refresh rate are present, these changes are not dramatically perceptible to most users. The core visual experience, including passthrough cameras and internal displays, remains consistent with the previous generation, making these updates incremental rather than transformative.

Market Trajectory & Competition

• 00:06:32 The mixed reality market is characterized by a significant lack of high-end competition for the Vision Pro, with Samsung's Project Muhand being a notable exception. Concurrently, there is rapid progress in the smart glasses space, with devices like Meta Ray-Ban displays gaining traction due to their lower social penalty and everyday usability. Apple's observation of sales and usage stats for the Vision Pro suggests a realization that it may not be a "smash hit," potentially leading to a reallocation of resources away from lightweight Vision Pro versions towards smart glasses development, indicating a shift in strategic focus for the future of everyday computing.