Apple abandoned the original plans to release an augmented reality helmet
Date: 2023-07-04 Author: Karina Ziganova Categories: BUSINESS
The American developer of Apple technology abandoned the original plans to release the Vision Pro augmented reality helmet
Apple has changed its mind about releasing the Vision Pro augmented reality helmet on its original scale.
Initially, Apple planned to produce up to a million helmets in 2024. However, now the "cupertinos" plan to release less than 400,000 copies, according to insiders. Two anonymous representatives of Chinese factories said in a comment to the FT that Apple only ordered parts for 130,000-150,000 copies of the Vision Pro for 2024.
The reduction in production is due to the complexity of the design of the Vision Pro and the difficulty of producing helmets. Insiders claim that Apple is dissatisfied with the performance of suppliers, as well as the quality of builds.
The numbers don't add up
Sources of the publication add that the company also froze indefinitely the development of a budget version of the helmet. Analysts interviewed by the FT consider the low production figures to be a demonstration of uncertainty in Apple. According to experts, the "cupertinos" do not yet seem to know how to scale up the production of such a complex device.
The situation is also affected by a wide range of sales forecasts. At the time of the announcement of the helmet in early June, investment bank Wedbush predicted the sale of only 150,000 devices in 2024, writes the FT. At the same time, the American bank Morgan Stanley adhered to much higher figures - 850,000 devices. Most of all, Goldman Sachs analysts counted on Apple's success, who expected the sale of 5 million copies of the Vision Pro in 2024. For comparison, Apple sold a little less 1.5 million copies of the first-generation iPhone.
Recall that the price of the Vision Pro was $3499, and the helmet itself will go on sale in the United States in early 2024. At the same time, the helmet works from an external battery for only two hours.
