> Effectively, there's no real difference. The model is discontinued.

There is a huge difference. My interpretation is that the GP is making the point that with just the headline people will think the product as a whole was discontinued, not just this first version.

Considering the number of people Apple marketing is able to reach, compared to the MacRumors website --- I really don't think it will have that kind of deleterious impact on people's interest in Apple VR.

That said, Apple marketing has been mostly dead silent since the product announcement 1.5 years ago.

My prediction is that they will "continue" the product as a different product, maintaining the name. A bit like how the Macbook Air is still a product, whilst we all know it was discontinued some years ago.

I’m not sure I follow. It has a different form factor now, but it still follows the same design ethos as the original model. It’s not like, say, the Ford Ranger, which had a long gap of non-production before being “brought back” in a different product category from the original.

What? Is a Camry discontinued because they update it?

A 2015 MacBook Air was discontinued, but 2024 (or 2023, whatever the last update was) MacBook Airs are not.

It would be crazy to have different product names for fungible products that are at least as good as the previous one.

Acura dealerships started as fungible copies of Honda products via a loophole to add more dealerships while 'honoring' previous Honda agreements.

Do you mean the 12" MacBook? That was discontinued. Or do you mean the MacBook Air with Intel? Or the wedge shape MBA? Hard to define what makes a product a product when parts and design shift with each generation.

The headline made me think Apple was giving up on the Vision product line which made me feel disappointed. Happy to hear that it lives on!

Whether the 'product' is discontinued depends on what the next product is. If they drop the AR using VR (its distinguishing feature), then the Vision Pro as we know it is dead and lives on only in name--effectively becoming an Apple Quest. I would love competition in that space.

> If they drop the AR using VR

Apple has been pushing for AR for years and years. I remember seeing demos when presentations were still live in person.

The whole concept of Vision Pro is “spatial computing”. Backtracking to VR would be a huge shift in focus.

VR should include computing and everything. Reality can be anything. VR can even include Reality. I'd agree with you if Apple wasn't backtracking what the idea of Computing is to be a modern monopoly app store.

My point was that the Vision Pro implements AR using VR technology (plus some low-latency additions).

The entire focus of the Vision Pro is mixed reality i.e. both.

Hence why they have the crown to seamless switch between AR and VR.

It does say a lot about demand though. You don't discontinue production on something when you have no successor coming soon unless you vastly overestimated demand.

They have produced their last batch for now. They are free to resume production if needed. From TFA:

>Apple will still be able to resume Vision Pro production if sales pick up since the production lines are not yet due to be dismantled.

If the item is still on Apple's website it's not discontinued.

Without the bit of info that they are looking at how to make a cheaper one, some might take “discontinued” as a sign that they are giving up on the whole field. That’d be big news.

As to selling the rest of the inventory: of course they are free to sell whatever they want. But this is a device whose only real use is to be a sort of preview/testing ground for developers who want to get ahead on writing VR code. The pricing is ridiculous for a consumer device, and it is too goofy for Apple users to wear to coffee shops. Continuing to sell it without any note that it was pointless would be a massive betrayal to third party Apple devs if they aren’t planning on making a serious product.

> Apple is free to continue selling what they have in inventory.

Remember the Apple Lisa. Get yours while their prices are low.