Apple may cut future Apple Vision Pro cost with far cheaper displays

AppleInsider

Apple is reportedly switching to a less expensive OLED technology to try and get the manufacturing costs down on a future Apple Vision Pro headset.

Apple Vision Pro

The new display is built by Japan Display Inc (JDI), which Apple has previously supported with a $100 million investment. According to The Elec, JDI has recently delivered a glass-based OLED panel, intended for an Apple Vision Pro-style mixed reality headset.

Instead of the glass board used by JDI, Apple Vision Pro is based on a silicon one. The difference is that a silicon substrate allows for smaller pixels, which makes for a much higher resolution.

Unspecified sources told the publication that the panel has a pixel density of around 1,500 pixels per inch. While Apple has not released figures for the Apple Vision Pro, The Elec says the headset's displays used for the eyes have a pixel density of 3,391ppi.

JDI is said to have incorporated technologies used by Sony, which is currently the supplier of the Apple Vision Pro's OLED displays.

In 2023, it was reported that Sony had refused to increase Apple Vision Pro product capacity, meaning Apple had to look for other suppliers. Alongside working with JDI, Apple is said to have asked Samsung Display to develop an OLED panel with 1,700ppi resolution.

Separately, it's been rumored that an Apple Vision Pro 2 would be half the price of the original. A display with an inflexible glass substrate, and a lower resolution, would be far cheaper to produce than the pair of displays that are inside the Apple Vision Pro now.


Rumor Score: Possible

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StrangeDays

I got to run the demo at n Apple Store last week. The 3D photos were incredible, and the immersive video was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. I thought I was “there”.  

pulseimages

Any idea how many units have been sold?

Marvin

pulseimages said:

Any idea how many units have been sold?

There's some information from the wearables revenue:

https://s2.q4cdn.com/470004039/files/doc_earnings/2024/q3/filing/_10-Q-Q3-2024-As-Filed.pdf

Wearables, home and accessories in 9 months ending June 29th 2024 = $27.9b. The same period the year before was $30.5b. The Apple Watch makes up around half the total. iPhone/iPad accessories (AirPods, cases, chargers, keyboards) make a significant amount, mainly AirPods, which are estimated to be close to half the amount too. AirPods + Watch are easily 80-90% of the total wearables category, possibly more.

1m Vision Pro units would be over $3.5b. Given that the total fell nearly $3b, it's not likely Apple Vision Pro made over $1b, < 300k sales in 9 months.

Not too surprising considering it had a US-only launch initially and the fact that $500 VR headsets like Meta Quest only sell 5-10m units per year.

A sub-$2000 headset would sell millions of units.

MacPro

I suspect the truth is somewhere in all this, but I doubt Apple will reduce the quality of the pro version,  dropping the price I can see but only because they solve some technical hurdle, not because they compromise on the experience of the pro version.  That's just not Apple.  I could see a non Pro version at a lower resolution though.