Apple is preparing to bring its first spatial computer, the Vision Pro, to the United States in early 2024, and many people will want one before the price and novelty have settled. Behind that eagerness sits a quieter constraint: the tiny silicon-based OLED panels at its heart can only be made in limited numbers, and one supplier, Sony, holds most of the capacity. As reported through industry sources, the result is a product whose arrival may be shaped more by the slow arithmetic of factories than by the excitement of a launch.
Apple Vision Pro's Supply Chain Could Limit Its Availability Beyond the US in 2024
Apple depends heavily on Sony, and building the product remains a challenge.
Mark
Why does a display panel decide whether people can buy a headset?
Mimi
Because the Vision Pro needs high-resolution micro OLED panels, and by these reports Sony is the main source. Sony's reported capacity is 900,000 OLEDoS units a year.
Mark
And how many headsets does that translate to?
Mimi
The Information said no more than 250,000 headsets' worth of panels in 2023, and a ceiling of 1.3 million by the end of 2024. Apple won't ship any this year.
Luke
I'd flag that those numbers all come from two outlets citing sources. Neither Apple nor Sony has confirmed them in this article.
Mark
What's the most telling detail, then?
Mimi
Apple reportedly repairs defective panels instead of discarding them. You only do that when panels are scarce or expensive.
Luke
Reportedly is doing real work there. It's one report, and it doesn't say how many panels are involved.
Mark
Sony refused to expand production. Do we know why?
Luke
No. The article doesn't say, so any explanation would be guesswork.
Mimi
What it does say is that LG Display still has to build a production line, and Samsung's RGB approach is aimed at later models. Relief isn't close.
Mark
So what does the claim about buyers outside the US rest on?
Luke
Mostly on inference. The article says it might take longer, but it gives no rollout schedule.
Le Pouls
- Sony's reported ceiling of roughly 900,000 OLEDoS panels a year leaves Apple's first headset squeezed into a narrow window of supply.
- Apple is reportedly repairing defective micro OLED panels rather than discarding them, a sign that every usable display is precious.
- Sony has reportedly refused Apple's request to expand production, closing the most direct route to more headsets.
- LG Display is being considered as a second source, but it must first build an OLEDoS line, so relief is not yet in sight.
- Buyers in the US may find shelves thin, and customers abroad could wait longer, with the outcome hinging on whether new suppliers arrive in time.
Apple is preparing to bring its first spatial computer, the Vision Pro, to the United States in early 2024, and many people will want one before the price and novelty have settled. Behind that eagerness sits a quieter constraint: the tiny silicon-based OLED panels at its heart can only be made in limited numbers, and one supplier, Sony, holds most of the capacity. As reported through industry sources, the result is a product whose arrival may be shaped more by the slow arithmetic of factories than by the excitement of a launch.
Apple intends to sell the Vision Pro in the United States in early 2024, and the price is expected to be high. Even so, enthusiasts are likely to queue for the company's first spatial computer. The harder question is whether there will be enough of them to go around, and a supply chain report suggests there may not be.
The bottleneck is the headset's display. According to The Elec, Sony can make at most about 900,000 OLEDoS panels a year, a micro OLED design built on a silicon base. Sources told the publication that Sony can ship only hundreds of thousands of Vision Pro displays next year, and that Apple may receive just 100,000 to 200,000 units per quarter. Other manufacturers make similar panels, but Apple is expected to stay with Sony until the second generation of the device.
The strain is visible in how Apple treats the panels it has. The Information reported that Apple is repairing defective units rather than discarding them, a telling choice for a company wary of the cost and scarcity of its displays. The same report said Sony cannot produce enough panels for more than 250,000 headsets in 2023, and that Apple would have no more than 1.3 million headsets to sell by the end of 2024.
Apple has tried to widen the supply. It asked Sony for more capacity and was refused. LG Display is a possible addition, though it still has to build an OLEDoS line, and later models might draw on Samsung Display's red, green and blue OLED technology.
The upshot is that owning a Vision Pro may prove harder than the launch suggests. US shoppers may struggle to find stock, and buyers elsewhere may wait longer. Two developments will matter most: whether LG Display completes its line, and whether Samsung's approach reaches future Vision Pro models. These figures come from The Elec and The Information rather than from Apple or Sony.
Apple plans to put the Vision Pro on sale in the United States in early 2024, and the price is expected to be high. Even so, plenty of enthusiasts are likely to line up for the company's first spatial computer. Whether there will be enough units for them is a separate question, and a supply chain report suggests the answer may be no.
The focus is on the headset's display. According to The Elec, Sony can produce at most 900,000 OLEDoS panels a year. OLEDoS, or OLED on silicon, uses silicon as the substrate for a high-resolution micro OLED panel. Sources cited by the publication said the Japanese company will be able to ship only hundreds of thousands of Vision Pro displays at most next year.
The quarterly picture is tighter still. The Elec reported that Apple could receive between 100,000 and 200,000 OLEDoS units per quarter. Other manufacturers make this kind of panel, according to the report, but Apple is likely to stay with Sony until the second generation of the product.
The pressure on the panels shows up in how Apple is reportedly handling them. A report from The Information, published a couple of weeks before this article, said Apple is repairing defective OLEDoS units instead of throwing them away. That is a notable step for a company that, by that account, is worried about how costly and scarce the micro OLED displays are.
The Information also put a ceiling on volume. Although Apple will not ship any Vision Pro this year, the publication said Sony could not make enough panels for more than 250,000 headsets in 2023. The article's conclusion from this is that Apple would have no more than 1.3 million headsets to sell by the end of 2024.
Apple has tried to loosen the constraint. It asked Sony to expand OLEDoS production, and Sony refused. Apple now plans to add LG Display as a possible supplier, but the South Korean company still has to build an OLEDoS production line before it can contribute. Later versions of the Vision Pro could use Samsung Display's OLEDoS technology, which relies on red, green and blue OLED.
The practical upshot, as BGR frames it, is that getting a Vision Pro may be harder than the launch announcement suggests. Apple depends heavily on Sony, and building the product remains a challenge. Buyers in the US may struggle to find units in stores, and customers outside the US may wait longer still for a first look at the headset.
Two things are worth watching: whether LG Display completes an OLEDoS line, and whether Samsung's RGB OLEDoS reaches later Vision Pro models. Both figures here come from The Elec and The Information, not from Apple or Sony.
Citations marquantes
Sony will only be able to ship hundreds of thousands of Apple Vision Pro at most next year.— Sources cited by The Elec
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur BGR ↗
Business