Apple patent shows the company is looking for ways to reduce the weight of a Vision Pro

A newly-granted Apple patent (US 11782480 B1) for a “head-mounted display with changeable center of gravity” shows a possible solution for reducing the weight on the upcoming Vision Pro.

The US$3,499 (and up) Spatial Computer is due in early 2024. However, it will apparently only be available in limited quantities at first.

In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is looking to make a future iteration of the Vision Pro more comfortable to wear — with a smaller and lighter design. 

Currently, it weighs about a pound. Apple is reportedly considering addressing this on the first model with an over-the-head strap.

“The company’s first headset, the Vision Pro, has caused neck strain in testing due to its size and weight,” he writes. “That could turn off consumers already wary of mixed-reality headsets, which meld virtual and augmented reality.”

In the newly granted patent Apple notes that when worn on the head of the user and in an upright position, a center of gravity of the head-mounted display is typically arranged forward of and above a head-neck pivot joint about which a head pivots relative to a neck of the user. When the user tilts their head forward, as a result of the center of mass of the head-mounted display being arranged above the head-neck pivot joint, a moment arm of the center of mass moves further away from the head-neck pivot joint. 

This forward tilting of the head may increase the forward torque induced by the head-mounted display. In order to stabilize the head, the user must exercise neck muscles, which, Apple notes, may be uncomfortable and/or induce fatigue, especially when a Vision Pro is worn for long periods of time.

What Apple is considering is a rear counterweight, to create a more neutral center of gravity. Per the patent “the balancing mass is movable relative to the display unit to offset changes in torque induced by the display unit when tilting the head-mounted display.”