If that's true, it's the stupidest thing they've ever done. To start competing in a product category invented by Eric Schmidt and Mark Zuckerberg. This might be the final point on the story of how Tim Cook destroyed Apple.
Eyeglasses with a HUD is the stupidest product category ever invented, and that's why no one wants them, which has been proven again and again in the marketplace.
I think it's pretty clear that the whole point of the Vision Pro is that Apple wants to build AR glasses but the technology was not ready yet.
I do think it makes some sense to attack the problem from both directions, but hopefully they aren't fully ditching the full immersive headset development to do it.
It's fundamentally a different product. Vision Pro is about pushing boundaries in productivity and entertainment. It's the step above desktop computers or game consoles with large displays. You wear this device like headphones, when you want to jump into work or game.
Eyeglasses with HUD is like Apple Watch but on your face, i.e. it's focus is on mobility, not productivity or immersion. You're supposed to wear this device all the time.
Even if we had the technology the run these devices in the same form factor (maybe in 100 years), I bet that most people prefer to keep their face and eyes tech free in mobile or social situations. For the same reasons as why it's polite to put your phone away when interacting with people. Wearing this kind of device means that they're not fully present at any time. It also signals that they're a person who wants notifications constantly blasted on their face - i.e. an idiot.
I don't actually believe that they have ditched the plans for the next version.
