Meta Reportedly Kills its Apple Vision Pro Competitor
It appears that Meta is no longer developing its rumored Apple Vision Pro competitor, a premium VR/AR headset codenamed “La Jolla.”
Per a report from The Information, Meta has instructed employees to stop working on the device, and it’s suggested the reason is partly due to the cost of the MicroOLED displays the headset would have used. Meta’s goal was reportedly to keep La Jolla at an affordable price of under $1,000 in hopes the device would perform better than its Quest Pro, which launched at just under $1,500. However, the expensive displays appear to have made the plans for a consumer-friendly premium headset fall through.
In a recent Threads post, Meta CEO Andrew Bosworth wrote “We have many prototypes in development at all time. But we don’t bring all of them into production. We move forward with some, we pass on others.” This suggests that while La Jolla might be getting left on the cutting room floor, Meta may be moving forward with another version of its existing Quest line or a different kind of Vision Pro competitor in the future.
The news comes in the wake of poor sales from Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset, which released earlier this year to a lot of hype, but also a lot of confusion regarding just what it can be used for.
In the months following the Vision Pro’s launch, it has been reported that Apple has struggled to sell its premium headset. However, the company has continued to bring the device to additional international markets. It is undoubtedly part of a long-term play for Apple’s spatial computing efforts.
It will be interesting to see where the AR/VR headset trend will go in the coming years. One thing is clear, though: ease of use and affordability will be critical in next-generation products. As The Verge notes, a discarded prototype doesn’t mean Meta isn’t still actively developing new AR/VR products. The company is expected to show off new AR glasses soon and is reportedly still working on a Meta Quest 4 headset expected to launch in 2026.
Image credits: Featured Image by Meta.
