How Repairable Is Apple's AR/VR Headset?

Apple has a decidedly spotty history of making its consumer products friendly for a DIYer, given the complex engineering that goes into their products. When iFixit got around to tearing apart Apple’s $3500 Vision Pro AR/VR headset, many observers would be surprised if such a complex product would be even remotely repairable for a DIYer.

One early hint of the Vision Pro’s complex design is that iFixit has decided to run the teardown in two parts. In this first installment, the reviewers undergo the laborious process of carefully disassembling the headset. The teardown process starts well enough, with the reviewer able to remove the headset and speakers without undue effort.  But when it came to the actual headset display, however, the reviewed peeled after several panel layers before being able reaching−you guessed it−more lenses, secured with a lot of screws. Heat and prying were needed.

As we go deeper into the teardown, the annoying process of disassembling screws and connectors follows before the reviewer can finally access the camera. She then made her way to the pc board, which included a stepper motor.  One pleasant surprise was the relatively accessible battery pack. But the reviewer summed up the teardown as far from effortless, with many convoluted construction, finicky fasteners, and a bevy of brackets making for a virtual nightmare.  This is probably not surprising considering the engineering Apple designs into its products and the complexity of an AR/VR headset that, in Apple’s words, promises to revolutionize computing.

Related:Apple Hedges Future On a $3,500 Mixed Reality Headset

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