Apple’s Vision Pro Group Chief Is Retiring

Dan Riccio is retiring, Bloomberg reports.

Riccio joined Apple upon Steve Jobs’ return in 1998, serving as VP of Product Design, and was heavily involved in the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. In 2012 he became Apple’s SVP of Hardware Engineering, joining the executive team. During this time he oversaw the launch of the Apple Watch, iPad Pro, AirPods, HomePod, and the first Apple silicon Macs.

In 2021 Riccio moved to a then-unnamed role, which turned out to be the Vision Products Group (VPG), then known as the Technology Development Group (TDG), overseeing Vision Pro’s transition from research to product. Contrary to Apple’s typical style, the VPG runs as a mostly self-contained unit, with former Dolby executive Mike Rockwell running it from day to day.

Bloomberg’s report says the Vision Products Group will now be directly under Apple’s SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus, with Mike Rockwell continuing to run the daily operations. Ternus is seen as the most likely CEO candidate to eventually replace Tim Cook one day.

Vision Pro Refresh & Cheaper Vision Headset

The leadership change comes as Apple is reportedly working on both a refresh of Vision Pro and a new cheaper non-Pro Vision headset.

Apple Vision Pro Could Get An An M5 Refresh In Late 2025

Mass production of an Apple Vision Pro refresh with an M5 chip should start in late 2025, prominent supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims.

The Vision Pro refresh will reportedly feature the M5 chipset, a significant upgrade from the current headset’s M2 that could unlock new capabilities and improve existing features.

Meanwhile, Apple has reportedly been talking to multiple display suppliers in its struggle to deliver a cheaper non-Pro headset, which could use an A-series chipset and might even drop the EyeSight front display.

Cheaper Apple Vision Could Use iPhone Chip And Lack EyeSight

Apple’s in-development more affordable Vision headset could use an A-series chipset and lack EyeSight.

Ternus replacing Riccio may bring changes to Apple’s XR strategy, and could even lead to the cancellation of or significant changes to these two in-development headsets. But regardless of Apple’s exact hardware plans, the core element in common will be the visionOS operating system, which is set to continue to improve over time.