FT: Apple forced major cuts to Vision Pro production plans – Apple

according Publishing Per the Financial Times, Apple is being forced to drastically cut Vision Pro production from more than 1 million units to less than 400,000 units. The information comes from two sources close to both Apple and manufacturer Luxshare. The China-based company has become an increasingly important supplier to Apple since last year, when it took a larger share of production of iPhones, AirPods and other Apple devices in the wake of protests over the pandemic lockdown at Foxconn.

Over a million is said to have been Apple’s internal goal, a rather ambitious target for a brand new device that costs $3,499. Apple’s new Vision Pro is more than triple the price of Meta’s premium virtual reality headset, the Quest Pro. The report does not mention that the decrease in production is due to lower expectations about demand. Instead, it appears to be an issue with the actual production of these devices being “too complex”.

The industry is still trying to make up for the manufacturing woes that have arisen during the pandemic, even for a company as large as Apple. But a new product is a new product, especially such a unique and high-quality tool as the Vision Pro.

The same publication also notes that plans for a cheaper version of the Vision Pro have also been hit by issues with production of the larger model, pushing back the entire schedule. While the Vision Pro was slated to launch in early 2024, the cheaper model was rumored for 2025, which is not yet clear if it has been confirmed.