After the release of Vision Pro, Apple shelved the Vision Air project codenamed N100. The company now works on N224, a project with similar aspirations but not necessarily targeted as a lower-cost offering. This new version could serve as a successor to the current M5-based model while potentially offering a lower price with the flagship experience. Bloomberg reports the device is early in development and could arrive between late 2028 and early 2029. Apple has four concepts under consideration. One design resembles recently unveiled Meta VR glasses, offloading compute and battery to an external puck. Given Vision Pro already features an external battery, this approach presents fewer hurdles, though better thermals and efficient compute are required. Some executives prefer an all-in-one design over the external puck concept. Design exploration includes experimenting with plastic, titanium, and other metals to reduce the current egg-shaped form's weight. Time will determine Apple's final direction. With the A20 Pro chip performing well within its thermal envelope, an A-series chip in two years could run vision OS at higher capacity without active cooling. The Meta VR glasses form factor makes sense even at a higher price point, as Apple silicon, Eye Sight, and vision OS would allow the product to stand out.

Apple continues to iterate on headset technology, balancing performance with wearability. The company's exploration of various materials and form factors signals a commitment to refining the user experience. Whether Apple adopts the external puck approach or sticks to an all-in-one design remains to be seen, but the focus on reducing weight while maintaining capability suggests a significant evolution of the Vision Pro line is underway.