Meta scraps plans for high-end headset targeting Apple: report (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has reportedly scrapped its plans for a high-end headset competitor to Apple’s (AAPL) Vision Pro, with high-priced displays and consumer reluctance apparently playing a part in the decision.

The Facebook parent’s “La Jolla” project had laid out a vision for a premium mixed-reality headset to come in 2027, but Meta (META) told employees at its Reality Labs unit to stop working on the device this week after a product review meeting, The Information reported.

The device was set to contain the same premium micro-OLED screens as in Apple’s (AAPL) $3,500-plus Vision Pro headset. But Meta’s hopes to keep the cost of its device below $1,000 faced the extreme hurdle of the high price and difficulty to make such displays.

Meanwhile, Apple’s Vision Pro has faced a slow reception from consumers so far, surely in part due to the price tag after a few years of high inflation.

The decision looks to be part of Meta’s shift from building the hardware itself toward licensing its XR (virtual, augmented, mixed reality) to other hardware makers, The Information noted.

And Meta still has plans for its lower-end to mid-range headsets, including a Quest 4 update set for release in 2026. The Quest 3 retails for $500.

Apple stock (AAPL) ticked up slightly following the report, up 0.7% in late morning Friday trading.