Apple slashes 'output plans for Vision Pro device' 

Apple is now preparing to make fewer than 400,000 units of the $3,499 (€3,207) headsets in 2024, it is said

Apple's new Vision Pro virtual reality headset will have its own operating system, visionOS, and a dedicated App Store.

Apple is slashing production targets for its Vision Pro because manufacturers are struggling with the novel gadget’s complex design, the Financial Times has reported.

Apple is now preparing to make fewer than 400,000 units of the $3,499 (€3,207) headsets in 2024, it said, citing unidentified people close to Apple and Luxshare Precision Industry, the Chinese firm that is initially assembling the device. 

Two China-based suppliers of components said Apple was only asking for enough parts for 130,000 to 150,000 units in the first year, while plans for a cheaper version have been pushed back, the newspaper reported.

Apple shares rose last week to breach the trillion stock market valuation for the iPhone maker again. 

The Vision Pro, unveiled last month, is its latest move to sustain sales momentum and try to propel a mixed-reality industry that for years has struggled to make it into the mainstream. The device, which resembles high-tech ski goggles, will have its own operating system, visionOS, and a dedicated App Store. 

It is slated to arrive early next year in the US, followed by other regions later. But the new projections are down sharply from a previous internal sales target of one million units in the first 12 months, according to the Financial Times.