Apple Intelligence Coming to Vision Pro? M5-Powered Vision Pro To Enter Production in 2025
Happy Friday! I hope things are well. A couple of exciting Vision Pro-related nuggets for your delectation on this sunny, but somewhat chilly Friday in Scotland...
The Next Vision Pro
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has today reported that the next version of the Vision Pro will go into production in the second half of next year and will be powered by an M5 chip, a few generations up from the M2 in the first model.
"Other hardware specs and designs won’t change much, which should help lower costs and price points."
– Ming-Chi Kuo
It makes a lot of sense that Apple would "only" have to push the raw power of the higher-end Vision Pro forward – given their focus on providing the best possible platforms for Apple Intelligence across their latest devices like the new iPhones 16 – while keeping its other specs relatively unchanged: The displays in the current Vision Pro remain incredibly impressive – it still gives me goosebumps every time I watch an immersive video on the current displays – and are likely to remain near, if not at, the top of the pile of VR headset displays for a good few years.
For that reason, a big part of me hopes that Apple will stick with the current Vision Pro displays for the lower-end model, perhaps by ramping up their production for the lower-tier "Apple Vision" (sans-Pro) headset to save what they can on unit costs. Heck, for all we know, they could still be producing as many as they can and stockpiling them ready for the 2026 "entry level" headset.
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If you'll allow me to go a bit deeper down this tangential rabbit-hole: We know Apple could save production costs for future headsets in other areas (the oft-lamented EyeSight outward-facing display which might remain a Pro feature for people in the workplace; and the insane machining of aluminium and glass, for example). I also hope Apple finds it in their hearts ❤️ to do a very un-Apple thing and reduce their margins even further (I know, I know) for the first generation Vision non-Pro to really make a push for new users in this nascent market. It could happen, right? 👀
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Anyway, back to the topic in hand: While a more capable M5 will no doubt provide the best Apple Intelligence experience for the Vision Pro 2, the M2 in the current headset is also capable of running Apple Intelligence, so we should see a version of Apple's "AI" arrive on the current Vision Pro. 9To5Mac reported earlier this month that iOS 18.1 beta 4 contains Apple Intelligence code specifically referencing the Vision Pro:
"As we perused the iOS 18.1 beta 4 code, we discovered a reference to a generative AI model bundle marked explicitly with the Vision Pro model code. (...) the evidence suggests that Apple is at least exploring the idea of Apple Intelligence on Apple Vision Pro."
– Jeff Benjamin at 9To5Mac, 18 Sept 2024.
If "Apple Vision Pro 2" devices are indeed going into production in the latter half of 2025, does this point to both a Vision Pro and the lower-tier "Apple Vision" launching together in 2026? That would feel about right, being two years after the first Vision Pro went on sale (2nd Feb 2024 in the US; 28 June in China, Japan and Singapore; 12 July in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK.)
I'd love to see that, along with some un-Apple-like aggressive pricing of both devices. The only other thing on my wishlist would be for Apple to offer a generous trade-in deal for early adopters, especially if the Apple Vision Pro 2 remains at the £3,500-£4,000 level.
We can always dream, I know! 🤞🙂