Apple Vision Pro Headset Could Come Pre-Equipped With Custom Prescription Lenses: Report
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s Vision Pro is set to launch in the US next year, but the iPhone maker is reportedly struggling to make the headset more comfortable for people who wear prescription glasses.
According to the report, Apple shrunk the Vision Pro’s “space computer” headset, eliminating the ability to wear glasses. Instead, it partnered with lens maker Zeiss to create glasses that magnetically attach to the headset. However, this approach has also proven problematic for Apple, as manufacturing different lens combinations can be tricky.
To solve this problem, Apple may be planning to make custom-made headphones with pre-installed prescription lenses. However, Gurman points out that this approach can have its own consequences. First, it would make Apple a healthcare provider. Second, reselling custom-made headphones in the used market can be challenging due to individual vision differences. In addition, during the course of owning and using the headset, the eye prescription may change, rendering their expensive custom-made headset unusable.
In the long term, Gurman suggests that this problem could be solved by moving entirely to augmented reality and moving away from offering mixed reality with both VR and AR. AR headsets alone could be lighter, with information masked over clear lenses rather than relying on bulky pass-through cameras and VR displays, as Bloomberg noted.
Meta is also laying the groundwork for its next-generation AR glasses, but they aren’t expected to hit the market until 2025.
