Unable to swallow the cost of micro-OLED displays, Meta axes its Vision Pro rival
Meta has reportedly canceled its high-end Vision Pro competitor code-named La Jolla, which was supposed to launch in 2027.
The company kicked off development work on the device last November, and a key selling points was supposed to be a sophisticated high-resolution display based on dual micro-OLED panels, which the Vision Pro uses. But Meta has realized the hard way that matching the Vision Pro’s sophisticated hardware is easier said than done.
After learning micro-OLED displays are prohibitively expensive, executives reportedly concluded that the device wouldn’t sell well. Citing two unnamed employees, The Information reported on August 23 that Meta axed the project.
Rumor: Meta cancels its Vision Pro competitor
“Meta told employees at the company’s Reality Labs division to stop work on the device this week after a product review meeting attended by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth and other Meta executives, the employees said,” according to the report.
Authors Sylvia Varnham O’Regan and Wayne Ma claim Meta didn’t want to break past the $1000 barrier, but achieving a sub-$1000 price point proved virtually impossible given the high-end components it wanted to use. Executives could have decided to pass these costs to you by pricing the device above $1000, but pricing it below $1000 was “considered necessary for the product to sell well.”
Meta is also working on a fourth-generation Quest that should retain the $500 price of Quest 3 and arrive sometime in 2026.
Only Apple can get away with pricing a headset at $3500
Apple had the same problem with the Vision Pro, but courageously priced the headset at $3500, severely limiting its appeal. So it should surprise you that Apple is said to be working on a budget model for a 2025 launch.
The budget Vision would have bigger but lower-resolution displays, fewer cameras, and iPhone-class chips instead of Mac chips to keep bill of material as low as possible. Just don’t expect it to match the Quest’s price—Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple could price it anywhere between $1500 and $2500.
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