#Fast Moving Eight Talks##Consumption##Apple##Headset#On July 4, a reporter from Beijing Business Daily learned that Apple was exposed to significantly reduce the production of the first headset Vision Pro, according to a number of foreign media reports, Apple plans to cut the production target of Vision Pro, the complexity of product design and the difficulty of production is the main reason for the reduction of the target. It is reported that Apple is preparing to produce less than 400,000 Vision Pro in 2024, after the company hopes to ship 1 million units when it launches in 2024.
Technical difficulties
After seven years of research and development, the Vision Pro was released last month and hailed as the most significant product launch since the iPhone, and the $3,500 over-the-air headset won't be available until early next year.
However, at the beginning of the advent of the Apple headset, there were already institutions that warned about mass production problems. At the beginning of June this year, Jibang Consulting said that the complexity of Vision Pro production brought major challenges to the limited production capacity of foundries, which made Apple only choose to prioritize the release of the headset in the United States in the first half of 2024, in addition, the agency also expects that by 2024, Apple's headset Vision Pro shipments will only be about 200,000 units.
As soon as the news of Apple's headset production reduction came out, Luxshare Precision attracted attention, the company has been rumored to be involved in the production of Apple AR, VR products, but the official has not issued an official announcement, Luxshare Precision only said that VR, AR is an important product line in consumer electronics, the company has a layout in parts, modules, and the whole machine, while saying, "Based on the spirit of the contract, the company does not comment on specific customers and specific products." A reporter from Beijing Business Daily interviewed relevant questions, but did not receive a reply as of press time.
According to reports from Wellsenn XR and other institutions, companies such as Desay Battery and Megaway Electromechanical may also participate in the production of Apple's headset. In response to the production cut, the Beijing Business Daily reporter contacted the interview by phone and email, but did not receive a reply as of press time.
In any case, it is the consensus in the industry that the Apple headset process is quite difficult. The front of the Vision Pro is a curved piece of glass that houses more than a dozen cameras and sensors. During the design process, Apple had heated discussions about whether to add more eye-tracking cameras or further adjust the motorized lenses to accommodate more facial shapes.
From the perspective of material selection, in order to overcome the drawbacks of traditional headset products, Apple uses carbon fiber materials inside, and strives to ensure that the structure is stable without weight gain. In addition, how to ensure that the glass shell is more robust and durable is also one of the technical difficulties.
Although Apple has previously shown the Vision Pro and many experiencers have said that they feel good about using it, in the eyes of industry experts, there is still a gap between samples and mass production.
Industry observer Hong Shibin pointed out that for general electronic products, its production process needs to go through a series of links such as screening factories, adjusting production lines, project tracking, and product sample signing, and finally producing goods in large quantities. Apple headset involves a wide range of components, suppliers from all over the world, it is difficult to coordinate in a short period of time, even after the selection of foundries, the later product yield needs to be closely tracked by Apple, any deviation in any link will lead to product launch delay.
Hong Shibin said that more importantly, Vision Pro as Apple's first headset product is of great significance, and any flaws may be magnified to see, ultimately damaging Apple's brand image.
Demand is elusive
In addition to technical difficulties, whether the high price can match market demand is also a problem that Apple must consider.
Compared with its peers, the price of Vision Pro greatly exceeds the previous segment of headset products, such as the new generation of Quest3 for the MR field released by Meta, which starts at only $499 at 128GB. Even the high-end Quest Pro has a debut price of only $1499.99. Apple's first headset starts at $3,000 more than Meta's new generation.
For example, Apple's headset is equipped with Eye Sight, which carries Sony's silicon-based OLED screen for Apple, and the cost of a single component alone reaches $500.
More notably, after Apple confirmed the release of the headset product, the stock price once rose, but after the announcement of the product price, its stock price fell again, and on the day of the conference, Apple's stock price fell by more than 1% at the end of the day, and finally closed down 0.76%.
Senior industrial economic observer Liang Zhenpeng pointed out that at present, the market head display products are facing the problem of not widely used, for a long time, people always tend to attribute product performance defects, such as too heavy, dizziness, etc., in fact, the lack of content ecology is a more important factor, in other words, there is no work that must be done by the headset, there is no game that must be played by the headset, when the user's freshness passes, it is often shelved, considering that the price of Apple headset is not cheap, or will further "dissuade" potential customers.
For example, on Apple's game subscription service Apple Arcade, more than 100 games have been listed, Disney+ has also officially joined Apple Vision Pro to provide streaming services, in addition, it also supports recording and playing 3D videos, and entertainment functions are further highlighted.
However, in the opinion of industry experts, the market demand for Apple's headset still needs to be verified, and it is not surprising that Apple is rumored to cut production. Liang Zhenpeng believes that in the future, Apple is bound to launch more headset products, profit is not in a hurry, the task undertaken by the first headset, more to test the market response, collect user feedback, and further consolidate the foundation for future products, after all, in the face of the uncertain consumer market, Apple also needs to "ask the way".
Beijing Business Daily reporter Tao Feng Wang Zhuli