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Early last year, Apple's first spatial computing device, the Vision Pro, officially went on sale, but with an official price of $3,499 and its excessive weight causing discomfort, sales were lackluster. According to foreign media reports, Apple originally planned to launch a more affordable and lightweight redesigned model, but development has now stalled, and the company is focusing its efforts on AI smart glasses.
Bloomberg first reported on the 1st that Apple originally planned to launch a modified model codenamed "N100," priced lower than the Vision Pro and featuring a lightweight design, slated for release in 2027. However, due to the slowdown in Vision Pro business, Apple decided to shelve the development of the N100, reallocate its R&D resources, and focus its efforts on the AI smart glasses product line to directly compete with Meta.
According to sources, Apple announced an organizational restructuring last week, with some employees responsible for developing the N100 being reassigned to the AI glasses team to accelerate development.
The report mentions that Apple is developing two AI glasses, one of which is the N50, without a built-in screen, and is expected to be released in 2027. The other has a built-in screen and was originally planned to be unveiled in 2028, but Apple hopes to release it as soon as possible to compete with the Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses.
Earlier this year, foreign media reported that due to its high price and poor sales, Apple not only drastically cut Vision Pro production but also notified its assembly manufacturer Luxshare Precision to stop Vision Pro production starting in November of last year, highlighting the rather lackluster sales performance of the Vision Pro.
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously pointed out that price is not the biggest problem with Apple's Vision Pro. According to his observation, many Vision Pro users lost interest after trying it out, reflecting that the Vision Pro does not have many practical application scenarios. Simply releasing a "downgraded version" with a lower price and fewer features will not help.
