C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Meta has reportedly canned its Apple Vision Pro competitor due to pricing constraints.
- The company reached this decision following a recent product review meeting and instructed its Reality Labs division to stop work on the headset.
- Meta appears to be shifting focus from developing new XR hardware to licensing its XR platform, Horizon OS, to other OEMs.
Inspired by the Apple Vision Pro, Meta started work on a premium mixed-reality headset in November last year. The device, internally codenamed La Jolla, was scheduled for a 2027 launch. But a new report suggests that it might not see the light of day.
According to The Information, Meta shelved its premium XR headset due to pricing constraints after a recent product review meeting attended by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, CTO Andrew Bosworth, and other executives. Employees familiar with the matter have revealed that the company originally planned to equip the headset with high-resolution micro OLED displays, like the Apple Vision Pro. However, due to the high cost of the displays, it was not able to meet the targeted price of $1,000 to ensure decent sales.
Since the Vision Pro’s $3,500 price tag was one of the main reasons for its dismal sales, it makes sense for Meta to have reconsidered its plans. The company seems to have shifted focus from developing new XR hardware to licensing its XR software platform, called Horizon OS, to other OEMs, the report adds. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see any new headsets from the company.
On the contrary, Meta is reportedly gearing up to showcase new augmented reality (AR) glasses, codenamed Orion, at its Connect developer conference next month. The company is also working on a Quest 3 successor, which could arrive in 2026.
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