Apple significantly reduced the target volume of Vision Pro release – Kommersant

The Vision Pro augmented reality headset proved to be too technologically advanced and difficult to manufacture, which is why Apple abandoned its original goals for the volume of the device. According to Financial Timesciting its own sources, the company had to delay and postpone plans to release a cheaper version of the AR headset.

According to the publication, at the stage of preparing Vision Pro for the release, Apple expected to produce 1 million devices in the first 12 months. However, two sources close to Apple and its Chinese supplier Luxshare say the company is now targeting less than 400,000 units in its first year. Luxshare is currently the only Vision Pro faucet. At the same time, two other Chinese companies that supply some of the components for the headset told the FT that they were asked by Apple to prepare enough components to produce only 130-150 thousand Vision Pro in the first year.

Apple introduced Vision Pro June 5, after seven years of development. The first augmented reality headset in the company’s history turned out to be more expensive than originally expected ($3.5 thousand), and it will go on sale only at the beginning of 2024.

According to FT sources, the resulting product turned out to be too complex and expensive in terms of production. The novelty works on two Apple chips – M2 and R1, and is also equipped with 12 cameras, 5 sensors and 6 microphones. The headset has a pair of postage stamp-sized micro-OLED displays each. Image resolution is claimed to be in excess of 4K. It is these displays that are the most difficult in terms of production and the most expensive part of the headset. According to newspaper sources, for the prototype demonstrated during the presentation of the device, the displays were created by Sony and TSMC. However, they refused to confirm their participation in the Apple project. Who will be the mass supplier of microOLED displays is unknown. But, according to sources, while Apple is unhappy with the amount of marriage allowed by display suppliers during production.

In parallel, Apple is working with Samsung and LG on the second generation of the headset, which should be a cheaper version of the Vision Pro. As a way to make the device more affordable, suppliers suggested to the American company that they replace microOLED displays with less advanced miniLEDs. However, according to sources, Apple is not ready to abandon the use of the original technology, and none of the suppliers has not yet satisfied the requirements of the American company.

Kirill Sarkhanyants