The origins of Apple’s mixed reality glasses Vision Pro date back to a patent received in 2008. This patent shows that the company has been working on Vision Pro for at least 15 years. Patent drawings and descriptions of the device are very similar to Apple Vision Pro, which will be released in 2024.
Macworld writer Dan Moren, in an article he wrote early in his career, drew attention to this patent applied by Apple in 2008. Moren stated that while reviewing an Internet Archive link shared by Jason Snell, a former colleague, he came across an article he wrote at the time and a familiar image about the patent.
The patent drawings look very similar to the final version of the Vision Pro. The statement states that Apple is working on a wearable screen and that this screen can make the user feel like they are in a virtual environment with the help of smart sensors. It is stated that these sensors can detect head and eye movements, adapt the video accordingly and make the user feel like they are in a real environment.
Moren emphasizes that at that time, the screen technology that could make this idea a reality did not yet exist, but Apple had a clear vision of the ultimate goal it wanted to achieve and continued to work for years to achieve this goal. Although this process resulted in a very high cost, Apple was determined to improve the technology.
Today, Vision Pro is positioned as one of Apple’s most advanced technologies, but it has difficulty reaching a wide audience due to its high price. Now the real question is when and under what conditions Apple can launch a more affordable Vision model.
Apple is preparing for the second generation Vision Pro
Latest news shows that Apple has put this project on the back burner for now and is focusing on a more advanced Vision Pro second generation device. This new model is likely to be powered by the M5 chip. It remains unclear when a more affordable Vision model will be available.