It’s been three weeks since the Apple Vision Pro started shipping to customers, and we now have reports that should be of concern to early adopters. Several owners are reporting that cracks in the front glass are suddenly appearing on the headset, raising questions about the Vision Pro’s durability.
On Reddit, user dornbirn posted a photo of a clearly visible line in the nose area of the Vision Pro. Dornbirn states that the headset wasn’t dropped or experienced impact of any kind. After polishing the front, the Vision Pro was placed in the case, and wasn’t moved at all. When dornbirn opened the case later, the crack was there.
The crack is enough of a concern, but there’s more. Dornbirn paid $499 for AppleCare+ coverage, which should provide a free replacement, but when dornbirn went to the Apple Store, representatives there wanted to charge a $300 repair fee. Reddit user xerodyze points out that the $499 for AppleCare+ is the fee to purchase the plan; the $300 repair fee is similar to a deductible and the cost of repair is actually much higher ($799) without AppleCare+. However, after just three weeks, a crack should be covered under the standard warranty.
How can this happen in the first place? Dornbirn thinks that the battery was still plugged into the headset when he put it away, so the theory is that this caused the headset to warm up and the glass to crack. If that’s the case, that’s a serious design flaw. Several users have replied to dornbirn’s post, stating that they’ve experienced the same thing–with similar-looking cracks. This pattern could indicate that the crack is a manufacturer defect, so Apple should replace the units for free.
Apple has not commented on the situation. Users on Reddit who have a cracked headset say that the Vision Pro isn’t affected by the flaw, and since it’s ridiculous to have to pay for a manufacturing defect, users are holding on to their flawed headsets with the hope that Apple will eventually change its policy and fix the VIsion Pro for free or provide free replacements.
So, if you have a Vision Pro, don’t store it with the battery plugged in. Apple has a lot riding on the Vision Pro, so it may be a matter of time before Apple gets more feedback to analyze and addresses the issue. Hopefully, the company doesn’t react like it did years ago when reports of G4 Cube cracks popped up–the company said they were normal artifacts of the manufacturing process and never issued a fix. Similar issues cropped up in 2018 with widespread reports of bent iPad Pros, but again, Apple claimed it was normal and never issued a recall or fix.
For more information about the Vision Pro read our in-depth Vision Pro review and check out our Vision Pro superguide.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.