Apple's Vision Pro loses its 'Pro' moniker as rumors of a cheaper model continue to swirl

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset back in June of 2023 one of the first things that people noticed was the huge $3,499 asking price. That's the price on the ticket for people who want to see what Apple's spacial computing technology can do when it goes on sale on February 2, but there will likely be a cheaper version in the future. Now, new evidence suggests that will very much be the case and we might even know what it will be called.

That's based on information found in the iOS 17.3 beta 2 code that appears to show that Apple plans on ditching the Pro part of the Vision Pro's name, likely to be used in a cheaper model. Strings that previously referenced the Apple Vision Pro have been changed to just Apple Vision, 9to5 Mac notes.

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The report uses the App Store as an example, with previous beta software listing "Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro Apps". However, that has now been changed to list "Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Apps" which could suggest that a non-Pro headset is in the cards.

We've been hearing rumors of a cheaper Vision Pro for some time, something that the $3,499 sticker shock has only brought into sharper focus. Reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman have previously said that Apple is aiming to launch a new headset that shaves the price down to somewhere between $1,500 and $2,500. Although those numbers are still high, especially when compared to competing products, it's a significant drop from the price of a Vision Pro and that's the key thing here.

As for what Apple will do to make the Vision so much cheaper than the Vision Pro, time will tell. There have been suggestions that Apple will use cheaper materials and perhaps remove the EyeSight display from the front of the device, but we have yet to see any concrete information either way. There is always the chance that Apple could ditch the dual 4K displays used in the Vision Pro in favor of something a little cheaper, too.

For now, though, all of the attention will be on the Vision Pro and where Apple goes from here. We now know the headset will go on sale in just a few weeks and it makers the first entry into a new product category for Apple since 2014, when the Apple Watch debuted. If the Vision Pro can prove anywhere near as successful as the Apple Watch we could be in for a treat - but we might have to wait for the cheaper model for that to happen.