Sales flop? Apple reportedly sharply scaled back production of its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset since the summer
A glimpse into the possible sale of Apple’s Vision Pro headset has emerged, after a report concerning the production of the mixed-reality headset.
The Information, citing multiple people directly involved in building components for the headset, reported that Apple had sharply scaled back production of the Vision Pro since the early summer.
And the report even suggested that Apple could entirely stop making the existing version of the wearable by the year end, suggesting the tech giant has enough inventory to satisfy sluggish demand for the foreseeable future.
Device issues
According to the Information report, employees at three Vision Pro suppliers have so far built enough components to make between 500,000 and 600,000 headsets.
One of the employees reportedly said their factory suspended production of Vision Pro components in May.
Apple in recent weeks has also reportedly told the device’s assembler, Luxshare, that it might need to wind down its manufacturing in November.
Apple had announced the Vision Pro at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2023 and the spatial computing wearable took a slightly different tack from existing headsets such as the Oculus line from Meta Platforms, by blending the real and virtual world together.
But right the start there were questions and worries about the headset.
Media outlets had reported last year that Apple was slashing production targets for its Vision Pro headset because manufacturers were struggling with the novel gadget’s complex design.
Sales numbers
But more serious were question marks over the sales of Apple’s Vision Pro headset, ever since its launch in the US in February 2024.
Concerns centred around the hefty $3,499 (£2,790) price tag (Meta’s Quest 3 headset in comparison has a price tag of around $500); coupled with its bulky weight; and the fact that the user had to carry around a separate battery pack.
Other issues that were flagged were the light seal (the soft band around the sides of the display that blocks light from the outside); a limited number of important apps; and neck strain due to the device’s weight and size.
