The End of Vision Pro: Apple Pulls the Plug on Its Expensive Headset and Shifts Strategy

According to MacRumors, Apple has officially abandoned development of its mixed-reality Vision Pro headset line. The model updated in October 2025 with the M5 chip failed to turn around sales numbers and posted a record-high return rate. Now the project team has been disbanded, and resources are being poured into a fundamentally different device — lightweight smart glasses without a built-in display.

In the fall of 2025, Apple tried to breathe new life into the company’s most expensive consumer device. The M5 model got a faster processor, an improved Dual Knit Band for better weight distribution, a boosted 120Hz refresh rate, and roughly 30 minutes more battery life. Still, interest in the device didn’t grow, and the return rate ended up being the highest among all current Apple products.

On the back of weak performance, Apple leadership halted work on the Vision Pro. At the same time, the Vision Air program — a lighter, cheaper variant that might have come out in the future — was shut down. Employees who worked on these projects have been moved to other divisions, including the Siri development team. Apple’s current CEO, John Ternus, who previously oversaw all hardware, was against launching the Vision Pro, but Tim Cook personally pushed for it. Now, with Cook gone, the final chapter has been written on the headset.

Instead of a bulky mixed-reality headset, the company is pivoting toward lightweight glasses where Siri will be the main interface. No display is planned for the first generation — it’ll work similarly to Ray-Ban Meta: voice control, photo and video capture via a pair of cameras, and haptic/gesture-based interaction. The gesture recognition tech has already been road-tested on the Vision Pro and is now being adapted for a configuration without a complex sensor array. The idea is that Siri will act as the main “broker” between the user and the glasses’ features.

This shift toward voice-controlled wearables fits the broader market trend: Meta has sold millions of its Ray-Ban Stories, while Google and Samsung are prepping similar solutions with their own AI assistants. Apple’s difference is that it’s betting on Siri even while the assistant still lags behind competitors in capabilities. The open question is whether Apple, without Cook at the helm, can enter the smart glasses market with a product that truly appeals to a mass audience — or whether the trial‑and‑error road in this new segment is just beginning.

What do you think — can Apple’s display-less Siri glasses replicate the commercial success of Ray‑Ban Meta, or does the market really need glasses with full augmented surroundings (even if pricier)? Share your thoughts in the comments.