No, the Apple Vision Pro won’t replace the iPad (or any other Apple device)

In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that the Apple Vision Pro will eventually replace the iPad, though the device has hardware and software shortcomings that need to be resolved first.

The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) usually finds Mark’s predictions accurate, but I think he’s way off on this one. I don’t think the Vision Pro will replace the iPad (or iPhone or Mac or Apple Watch), especially in its current user-is-isolated-from-others form.

Mark’s reasoning is that Apple first positioned the iPad as a iPhone with a bigger screen and more features, then as a (kinda) Mac replacement. This has left the tablet in limbo “as “he device lost its original purpose and has become a more confusing piece of Apple’s product portfolio.”

Here’s Mark’s reasoning: “So here’s where the Vision Pro comes in. There’s been a lot of talk that the headset could be the future of the Mac or a replacement for the iPhone. I don’t think either is true. After using the $3,499 device for about a week, I believe the Vision Pro could instead cannibalize the iPad. It has the potential to provide a far better experience for the main jobs that Apple’s tablet was designed to handle.”

Mark says that the Vision Pro still has lots of areas of improvements and that “until then, the Vision Pro is essentially a prototype—just one where you have to pay Apple for the privilege of testing it out.”

However, the primary drawback to the spatial computer replacing any Apple devices is that — the EyeSight feature aside — you basically working/playing in an isolated environment. Perhaps once — likely years from now — when the Apple Vision Pro is streamlined into a form like current eyeglasses, it will replace some current devices. Until then, I can’t see that happening. 

However, Mark is right: Apple needs to decide what it wants the iPad to be when it grows up.

This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.