After numerous delays, Apple finally introduced the Vision Pro “space computer” to the world a month ago and has given itself a lot of breathing room, stating that the headset will go on sale early next year. Meanwhile, its manufacturing partners were expected to improve yields and fix other issues.
However, things are not going according to plan, reports the Financial Timesand Apple’s internal goal of selling 1 million units during the first month of availability was cut. Two insiders say Luxshare, which assembles the headphones, is now looking to produce fewer than 400,000 units in 2024. Two other component suppliers have reportedly received orders for just 130,000-150,000 units for next year.
The more expensive components are causing the biggest headaches: the two micro-OLED displays, made by Sony and TSMC, suffer from low yields.
Apple is working on a cheaper headset and has been considering other types of displays like mini-LEDs, but ultimately decided to stick with the tricky micro-OLED. Cupertino is talking to Samsung and LG to try to recruit them as display suppliers for the low-cost unit (a second-generation flagship is also in the works).
However, the design is very complex and includes unique features such as EyeSight, which projects and an additional view, visible to others. This and cutting-edge technology such as high-resolution micro-OLED displays (which create the image for the wearer) inevitably caused problems when Apple looked to scale production – that’s why the launch was set for months later the announcement. However, it seems that Apple and its partners have underestimated the challenge.
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