Apple Vision Pro Lite not before 2027, iPhone 17 with Apple Wi-Fi 7 chip
With its price tag of $3,500 and limited market availability, the Apple Vision Pro headset has not proven to be a great commercial success so far. Apple is expected to launch a successor with the upcoming Apple M5 chip sometime next year, but it is not expected to be any cheaper. Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now joined the discussion. Kuo believes that a cheaper Apple Vision Pro Lite is still in development, which would confirm earlier rumors. However, according to the Chinese, Apple has postponed production and market launch beyond 2027.
Kuo also confirmed that the Apple Vision Pro will be updated with the M5 chip next year. He also mentioned that the M5 Vision Pro is unlikely to attract more users, as it is still generally considered a niche product with limited use cases. Especially since there have already been various complaints about comfort, weight and dizziness.
Kuo also drew parallels with the Apple HomePods, where the cheaper HomePod mini never caught on. A trend that he believes could also flourish with the cheaper Vision Pro headset.
iPhone 17 with Apple Wi-Fi 7 chip
Ming-Chi Kuo also had something to say about the Apple iPhone 17, which will be released in fall 2025. According to him, the next iPhone generation will use a Wi-Fi 7 chip self-developed by Apple.
The chip will replace the Broadcom chip that Apple currently uses for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Apple’s Wi-Fi 7 chip is manufactured using TSMC’s 7 nm process. Apple apparently wants to switch “almost all” of its products to its own Wi-Fi chip within about three years in order to reduce supply costs and generate more profit.
Apple is also working on its own 5G chip, which will be separate from the Wi-Fi chip and manufactured using a different TSMC process technology. This will also be gradually used starting next year. The first product with Apple’s own 5G modem will be the next iPhone SE. However, this will continue to use a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip.
