Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Apple’s Vision Pro headset is too expensive. OK, it’s not exactly an unusual sentiment, but something has just happened that could mean Apple is about to take action on this stickiest of sticking points. Indeed, if it comes to pass, Apple might go some way to putting right one of its biggest recent missteps.
Here’s the deal. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently took to X to announce his belief that Apple would have some Vision Pro-related news to announce this Friday. Gurman didn’t say what that revelation would be exactly, but if Apple is reaching out to the press, it could suggest that something big is about to go down.
In my mind, there are a few possibilities of what Apple could show to the world:
Announcing a new Vision Pro complete with M5 chip might, in some respects, be the most “Apple-like” move from the company — that is, continue to push for premium features and ignore the price naysayers. But at the same time, it doesn’t really make sense. Apple has only rolled out the M4 chip to half of its Macs, so launching the M5 before that process is finished would seriously undercut its current-gen chip. A new M4 MacBook Air is due out soon — how would you feel buying one knowing that Apple already has a better chip on the go?
As well as that, the M5 chip might not even be ready yet. The M4 has only been with us for a handful of months, so I’d be surprised if Apple has the M5 fully finished and primed to go right now. Chances are it needs more time in the oven.
Adding Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro would make sense, as it could give a new way to control and enhance the device. But it might require a better chip in order to handle Apple Intelligence’s demands alongside everything else the headset does. Perhaps that means we’ll be waiting for the M5 upgrade for this change. Alternatively, Friday’s announcement might entail Apple upgrading the headset’s memory to cope with the strain.
I also have my doubts about Apple talking up a more affordable alternative headset — that is, a cut-price model that sits alongside the regular Vision Pro. Although this device is widely rumored to be in development — and lord knows we need it — even the most ambitious claims say it’s not due out for another year or two.
That leaves us with the price cut to the regular Vision Pro. While it’s probably the most begrudging move from Apple’s perspective, it’s also the most necessary one. As I’ve said before, Apple can’t go on selling the Vision Pro at $3,499 a pop — people just aren’t buying it in large enough numbers to justify its undoubtedly astronomical research and development costs.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s announcement is some combination of the possibilities listed above. As significant as a price drop would be, I don’t think it will be the only thing Apple will talk about. That would end up giving the tech press nothing to discuss except the price, something Apple really won’t want to attract attention to.
At the same time, while the PSVR2 controller support would be meaningful and could give the headset a sizeable gaming boost, it might not groundbreaking enough to warrant its own solo press release.
Ultimately, I think a combination of the price drop and PSVR2 controller support — perhaps with an outside chance of an Apple Intelligence teaser — is the most likely outcome of Friday’s reveal. It may not sound like much, but it could be exactly what the Vision Pro needs.
After many months of silence, it’s good to see Apple is finally taking action on the Vision Pro. While I can’t claim to have a crystal ball, I think my suggestion above has a half-decent chance of being the topic of Apple’s conversation. If nothing else, the price drop is a move the company can’t afford to pass up.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.