Picture the scene: you’ve had an enjoyable day of playing around in mixed reality using Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Once you’re done for the night, you carefully pack the Vision Pro away while leaving the battery pack connected and soft front cover attached. But when you wake up to begin a new day of work while wearing the $3,500 headset, you spot a problem: a hairline crack has formed on the front cover glass.
That’s a problem that at least a few users have encountered, according to a handful of reports on Reddit. It’s unclear how many units have been affected, though AppleInsider, which first reported on the cracks, suggests it’s a small number. The issue occurred on Engadget’s review unit as well.
The cause of the problem is not yet known. But the similar appearance of the cracks and apparently small number of impacted units suggests that it’s down to a manufacturing flaw. Engadget has contacted Apple for comment.
If Apple doesn’t officially recognize the issue as a manufacturing defect, it may not cover the crack under the device’s warranty. That’s reportedly been the case for some of the affected users. As such, they’re been put on the hook for $300 to repair the cover glass if they have AppleCare coverage. Otherwise, the cost is a stinging $800.
As MacRumors notes, Apple often offers special repair programs for recognized hardware issues, but that’s only likely to happen if there are enough reports to warrant the company fully investigating the matter and identifying a common problem. Still, this gives more credence to the maxim that maybe you shouldn’t buy a first-generation Apple product.
This isn’t the first time an Apple device has been susceptible to scratches in its first generation. Many users of the first iPod nano found that it scratched very easily. A lawsuit ensued, and Apple agreed to pay a $22.5 million settlement.
