Malcolm Owen
Production of the Apple Vision Pro scaled back considerably over the summer, but a new report claims there's a chance Apple may stop it entirely by the end of the year.
The Apple Vision Pro isn't a mass-market device with massive sales versus the rest of the rest of Apple's range. The relatively lower sales figures gives Apple new supply chain challenges, which it is still working out.
According to sources of The Information involved in component production for the headset, Apple reduced orders for the Apple Vision Pro early in the summer. However, the cut in production may not end there, as it is believed Apple could end up stopping assembly of the headset by the end of 2024.
Part of the decision is due to having ample supplies of the headset and components to make more to meet demand for the foreseeable future. It is claimed suppliers have produced enough components to produce approximately 600,000 headsets.
As for the assembly of the Apple Vision Pro, Luxshare has halved production of the headset to about 1,000 units per day. Apple has reportedly told Luxshare that manufacturing may have to wind down by November.
Analysts believe Apple sold approximately 370,000 headsets in the first three quarters of 2024, and will only sell another 50,000 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, it is thought that Luxshare has assembled between 500,000 and 600,000 headsets, meaning there are about 200,000 headsets in storage.
One of the reasons Apple may be trimming production and letting existing supplies run for a while is because of its work on a new cheaper model for consumers. A $2,000 version is expected to go on sale in 2026, with changes including lower-resolution displays, the loss of Eyesight, and other cost-saving changes.
A second-gen model of Apple Vision Pro is also forecasted to arrive, with production anticipated for the second half of 2025. If accurate, Apple's existing stock of first-gen units may be enough to feed demand until the second-gen iteration launches.
These plans may still change, as the Apple Vision Products Group is still tryingto work out the best way forward for the hardware category. There's always the prospect of coming up with smart glasses similar to Meta's Ray-Ban collaboration, or to go down the route of the "Holy Grail" AR spectacles.
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23 Comments
“If accurate, Apple's existing stock of first-gen units may be enough to feed demand until the second-gen iteration launches.”
What demand?
Well, this is probably a sign that's in consistency with some other approaches Apple have in lack of customer insight as I see it. Some want a smaller iPhone - they keep getting bigger, some want a bigger iMac - it's still no one in sight, some want a new ergonomic mouse - not one in sight, some want a new Airport range - nope. Of course there are products like the Apple Vision Pro that might have a bit of a uphill to get acceptance, I remember some even questioned the iPad when it came but look at it now. But, "to make the best products" should also be done with the end price in mind. I kind of accepted that Apple has a higher price tag on their products because they are so good but with the Apple Vision Pro the price tag is out of this world.
I doubt they are entirely giving up on AVP, but if they would just focus on games and entertainment (They should be doing many more exclusive concerts and sports with AVP) then they can bide time while the corporate world finds their uses AND Apple can start working on a more affordable option.
AVP is exclusively a consumption device. Focus on that and produce a lot of content. Then maybe, maybe, people will buy it.