Apple Cuts Vision Pro Production Drastically, And May Stop It Completely
JAKARTA - Apple appears to be facing major challenges with its mixed reality device, Apple Vision Pro. After reports that the device's production was cut during the summer of 2024, news emerged that Apple might be completely discontinued by the end of this year.
Apple Vision Pro is not a device aimed at mass markets, so sales are much lower than other products in Apple's lineup. This relatively low sale raises new challenges in the supply chain, which Apple is still trying to overcome.
According to a source from The Information involved in the production of this headset component, Apple has reduced component orders since early summer. Now, reports say that Apple may stop assembly of headsets completely by the end of 2024.
Abundant Stock
One of the reasons behind this production reduction is the abundant supply of components and the Vision Pro unit to meet demand in the near future. The sources reveal that suppliers have produced enough components to generate about 600,000 headset units.
In terms of assembly, the Luxshare manufacturing company has reduced Vision Pro production by half, to around 1,000 units per day. According to reports, Apple has notified Luxshare that production may be halted in November 2024.
Analysts expect Apple to have sold around 370,000 units over the first three quarters of this year, and will only sell about 50,000 more units by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Luxshare is believed to have assembled between 500,000 and 600,000 units, so it is estimated that there are about 200,000 units still stored in the warehouse.
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Cheap Models And Second Generation
One of the reasons Apple may lower production is because of their plan to launch a cheaper Vision Pro model, which is likely to sell for $ 2,000 (Rp. 31 million) by 2026. The model is expected to have lower specs, such as lower screen resolutions and the loss of the Eyesight feature, as well as several other changes to lower production costs.
In addition, the second-generation Apple Vision Pro model is also expected to be released, with production planned for in the second half of 2025. If this prediction is accurate, the stock of the first-generation unit may be sufficient to meet demand until a second-generation version is launched.
While Apple product developer group Vision continues to work on finding the best strategy for the future of this hardware category, there is still the possibility that Apple could develop smart glasses similar to Meta's collaboration with Ray-Ban, or pursue their ambitious vision for more practical and lighter AR glasses, often referred to as "Holy Grail" in augmented reality technology.