9to5Mac and iClarified both amplify Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter on September 27: Apple is testing a LIGHTER Vision headset under the N224 code name, with roughly FOUR form-factor concepts on the table and NO guaranteed path to a store shelf. The report is FRESH today; the hardware is NOT.
Unlike the canceled Vision Air effort (N100), the new work is not framed as a pure BUDGET SKU. Secondary coverage says N224 could act as a SUCCESSOR to the current M5-based Vision Pro — possibly at a LOWER price — while still aiming for a FLAGSHIP experience rather than a stripped-down “Air.” The project remains EARLY, not a launch brief, and that distinction MATTERS for anyone reading ship dates into a newsletter.
Puck vs All-in-One
One concept mirrors Meta’s freshly announced VR Glasses architecture: move the processor and battery into a STANDALONE PUCK, leaving a LIGHTER facial unit. Vision Pro already ships with an external battery pack, but the main compute still lives in the headset; offloading that silicon would be a LARGER structural change than today’s cable. That is the CORE trade-off under debate inside Apple right NOW.
Gurman’s reporting, as summarized by 9to5Mac, also notes internal PUSHBACK: some Apple executives dislike the external-puck idea and want the company to stick closer to an ALL-IN-ONE design. Parallel material tests keep the familiar egg-shaped form while experimenting with plastic, titanium, and other metals to CUT weight without abandoning the current silhouette. Comfort remains the HARD constraint, and the puck path is still CONTESTED at the executive LEVEL.
Timeline Stays Distant
Bloomberg’s window, as relayed on September 27, puts any N224 arrival between LATE 2028 and early 2029 — and only if the project SURVIVES. iClarified’s write-up describes the effort as on “life support” while Apple weighs direction; displayless smart glasses remain the nearer wearable BET, with coverage still pointing toward a 2027 glasses window rather than a firm headset calendar. Glasses look CLOSER than a lighter Pro, and that gap is WIDE. Treat the headset date as a CEILING, not a promise.
iThinkDiff places the uncertainty in a longer pattern: prior headset tracks such as N107, N100, and N109 were SCRAPPED. Leadership around Vision hardware has also shifted — Fletcher Rothkopf now reports under Tom Marieb within Johny Srouji’s hardware org after Paul Meade’s June departure for OpenAI — while CEO John Ternus has publicly framed the current Vision Pro as an early-stage STEPPING stone rather than a finished category. The org chart change is a REAL signal of priority shuffle, not a MINOR footnote for the SPATIAL team.
Why It Matters for XR
For Metaverse Watcher readers, the SIGNAL is comparative, not speculative hype. Meta just put a ~100-gram glasses face plus puck on a Spring 2027 clock at $1,299.99. Apple’s reported N224 work shows the same WEIGHT problem is still OPEN inside Cupertino — but the company’s nearer public bet remains camera-and-AI smart glasses, not a lighter Vision Pro you can buy next year. Form factor is the FIGHT; ship dates are NOT locked. Keep both tracks in VIEW.
Treat every date and design detail as REPORTING about an early concept slate. Until Apple shows hardware, N224 is a roadmap rumor with useful competitive CONTEXT — not a product announcement. Stay SKEPTICAL until a keynote locks the design, and keep Meta’s puck launch on the same COMPARISON board for readers watching the CATEGORY.
Sources: 9to5Mac (Sep 27, 2026); iClarified / Gurman Power On summary; iThinkDiff (Sep 27, 2026); Meta VR Glasses announcement for puck architecture contrast.
1 thought on “Apple Tests Four Vision Pro Successor Designs, Puck Included”