Apple is testing a Vision Pro redesign that would move the headset’s battery and processor into a separate external puck, borrowing the basic architecture Meta just used for its own VR glasses. If it ships, the redesigned headset wouldn’t arrive until late 2028 or early 2029 at the earliest.
Bloomberg reported the puck concept as one of roughly four designs Apple is testing under the N224 project. The puck would be Apple’s own hardware, not a Meta component, built specifically to separate the heaviest parts of a Vision Pro from the part that actually sits on someone’s head.
Apple’s Puck Would Be Its Own Hardware, Not Meta’s
Meta’s new VR glasses house the processor and battery in an external module, letting the headset itself stay small and light. Apple is chasing a similar result with its own puck design rather than adopting Meta’s hardware directly.
The current Vision Pro keeps everything inside the headset, which lets it work as a standalone spatial computer but adds to a weight that runs roughly 600 to 800 grams depending on configuration and headband. A separate puck could cut that dramatically without necessarily cutting processing power.
Apple Tried Splitting The Headset From The Computer Once Before
The puck isn’t a new idea inside Apple. An earlier project, N107, would have offloaded computing to a Mac or another external device before Apple canceled it and rethought the category.
Apple also shelved Vision Air, a lighter design that moved components into an external pack, and a separate cheaper, lower-powered Vision Pro concept, and is still testing plastic, titanium and other metals for a version that keeps the current egg-shaped design intact.
Some Apple Executives Think An External Puck Is Bad UX
Some senior decision-makers inside Apple see an external puck as a step down in user experience, and would rather keep the headset as a single all-in-one device even if that keeps it heavier.
That leaves Apple with two options: keep shrinking a standalone headset, or move weight onto a second device and accept the hassle of carrying one. The company hasn’t committed to either, and the leadership changes inside Apple’s Vision team suggest that decision is still being worked out.
If N224 launches, it isn’t expected before late 2028 or early 2029 at the earliest, and Apple hasn’t said which of its four concepts would ship first.
Our Take
The internal disagreement here is the real story, more than the puck itself. A design team that already knows how to build a lighter Vision Pro but has executives blocking it on user-experience grounds is a very different situation than a team still stuck on the engineering problem itself. Meta shipping a working version first raises the stakes on that argument inside Apple, whichever side ends up winning it.
My guess is the plastic-and-titanium version ships first as the safer bet, with a puck-based Vision Pro held back until Apple is confident it won’t repeat the AirPower outcome of announcing a product it can’t actually ship.
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