- This is stated by the FT, citing its source.
- The headset was too expensive to manufacture
- It’s all about the unique hardware components, which, among other things, are due to the high price tag
- If at first it was about 1 million units in the first 12 months, now the planned volume has been reduced to 400 thousand units
Apple is forced to reduce the planned production volume of the Vision Pro AR headset. The reason lies not in the price tag ($3499!), but in the technical complexity of the design.
The portal reports FT citing your source. Recall that Apple introduced a new product as part of the WWDC 2023 conference, which took place in early June.
However, even before that, some experts expressed doubts about the commercial success of the product. Two things influenced this – positioning and price tag.
As for the second point, here, in addition to the markup for the brand, the company operated on the complexity and uniqueness of the hardware components. And, apparently, this still influenced plans to launch new items on the open market.
The Vision Pro was supposed to go on sale in early 2024. At the same time, the planned output amounted to 1 million units in the first 12 months.
An FT source at Luxshare said that Apple is now targeting 400,000 units. This is a manufacturer from China who will assemble the Vision Pro.
But that is not all. Two sources at component suppliers said the company expects only 130,000-150,000 units.
This reflects Apple’s uncertainty about the commercial success and relevance of the product. Oddly enough, the reason for this lies in the competitive advantages that drive the high cost – unique hardware components.
Vision Pro turned out to be too expensive to manufacture. At the same time, the projected profit does not seem to cover possible costs in case demand turns out to be low. Apple has not yet commented on the situation.
Also, the FT source clarified the situation with the release of the “people’s” version of Vision Pro. He said that Apple is working on a cheap analogue of the headset, but its release is being delayed. Apparently, in order, again, not to interfere with the more expensive version on the market.