Apple is reportedly working on making its next Vision Pro headset easier to wear, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The current Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The device has been praised for its performance and features. However, there are also concerns for it being bulky and uncomfortable to wear for longer periods of time.
Gurman reports that Apple is working on a number of ways to make the next Vision Pro more comfortable to wear starting with focussing on a “smaller and lighter design.” Apple could use lighter materials in the making of the product and could launch the product sometime next year.
“It currently weighs about a pound, and testing has shown that it can feel too heavy for some users — even in short stretches. Apple is considering addressing this on the first model with an over-the-head strap, but making the hardware lighter is a better long-term solution,” Gurman wrote in his PowerOn newsletter.
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Apple is also working on making the next virtual reality headset more user-friendly for people who wear glasses. Apple in the current headset tried to make it slimmer by not accommodating prescription eyeglasses. Instead, the company partnered with Zeiss to sell special lenses that can be attached to the headset using magnets.
However, according to Gurman, dealing with the many different combinations of these lenses has been a challenge for Apple which is why the company may now be thinking of a new idea: making headsets with prescription lenses pre-installed in the factory.
But this comes with a catch. Gurman believes that while this would make things easier for customers, it could also create some new problems like the company might be seen as a healthcare provider in some way, which they might not want to be. Second, having built-in prescription lenses would make it difficult for people to share or sell their headsets to others. And finally, people’s vision prescriptions can change over time, so this approach might not work well for everyone in the long run.
Apple’s decision to focus on making the next Vision Pro easier to wear is a sign that the company is serious about making mixed reality a mainstream computing platform. If Apple can make a headset that is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, it will open up a wide range of new possibilities for AR and VR applications.
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