Picture this- with much excitement, you’ve spent a whopping $3500 on a mixed-reality headset. You spent an entire day playing around with the Apple Vision Pro and packed it carefully in the case. The next day, when you wake up dancing with utter enthusiasm to wear your $3500 headset, you see a hairline crack on the front cover glass. Ouch! Damn scary, right? Well, that’s happening with some Apple Vision Pro units.
A small number of Vision Pro owners have reported cracks appearing in the front glass of their headsets. Most users see the same vertical hairline crack above the nose bridge, but no one knows what’s causing this issue.
Vision Pro Crack Gate
The Vision Pro front glass cracking issue was first reported in the VisionPro subreddit about 18 days ago when the hottest Apple tech just started hitting the shelves. Since then, a few users have been facing the same issue, and the number of cases has increased in the last week. Users have shared images that show a similar vertical hairline crack above the nose bridge. This suggests the damage is induced at a particular point of tension, where the curvature of the laminated glass is most noticeable.
Recently, a Reddit user shared his story on how he suddenly discovered a long crack in the front glass of Vision Pro. He mentioned that the headset was sitting nicely in the Apple travel case.
“Like a few others, I just discovered a long crack in the front glass of my Vision Pro. It’s been sitting neatly in the Apple travel-case, and it’s been subject to very light use a couple of hours a day – I haven’t dropped it or similar, which should also be pretty evident from the rest of the glass being completely scratch and dent free. (The white dots are speckles of dust).”
It then started a wave of discussion where some users reported the same issue on their headsets, while others opposed it.
Some users also reported the Apple Vision Pro crack problem on the Apple Community forum. Also, Engadget reported the same issue with its review unit and has contacted Apple for a comment.
All the reports mentioned that the crack became visible suddenly and for no obvious reason. Users have explicitly mentioned that the problem occurred after the headsets were connected to the external battery pack and stored overnight (in Apple’s Travel Case) with the soft front cover attached. Besides, all the affected Redditors mentioned they haven’t done anything like dropped the device or stored it improperly which would cause cracks on the front glass.
Possible Reasons Why Vision Pro Front Glass is Cracking
There’s speculation that Vision Pro could develop a crack because of the pressure exerted on the front glass when tightening the straps. Another theory says the problem may be due to an overheating issue when charging the headset in the case or with the cover on. The glass expanded due to overheating, which caused a hairline crack at its weakest point.
The other side of the coin points to a different story altogether. Some users believe that it might be a manufacturing problem in some units or a design flaw that exerts too much pressure on a particular area.
What Should You Do If Your Vision Pro’s Front Screen Has Cracked?
When you notice your Vision Pro front glass is cracking, you should immediately contact Apple. At the moment, Apple hasn’t officially addressed the issue as a manufacturing flaw. Therefore, they won’t cover the crack under the device’s warranty. Several users have reported that they have been asked to pay the repair costs.
If you’ve got AppleCare coverage, the front cover glass repair would cost you $300. Without Apple Care, this repair amount goes as high as up to $800.
In the past, Apple recognized a few hardware issues with its devices and introduced special repair programs. However, Apple won’t accept any manufacturing flaw unless an ample number of identical reports go widespread. Right now, the total number of affected units remains unknown. That said, the current stats suggest the number is pretty small.
Where is Quality Checking, Apple?
Even though a small number of users have reported front glass cracking on Vision Pro, this puts a big question mark on Apple’s quality-checking measures. I mean, how can Apple fail in quality-checking of a high-end $3500 device? Vision Pro is a premium headset that would cost you a fortune. When the price is this high, user expectations would definitely align with that height. And, it’s Apple’s responsibility to deliver a top-notch experience. Now that users have reported front glass crack issues, the giant owes a free replacement. If not, users certainly deserve a free repair. How can Apple charge an additional $300 (or $800) for repairing something that didn’t happen because of a user’s fault?
Ever since Apple announced the Vision Pro at WWDC 2023, it remained in the limelight. People have been applauding Apple for its innovation and called Vision Pro a master-stroke. Well, it’s not even a month, and Vision Pro received quite a backlash.
We understand it’s pretty common for any device to have some issues in the first generation. It could be slight software bugs or a lack of ample apps and video content, which users have reported in the case of Vision Pro. Such issues can be fixed with a future software update, if not, a second generation of Vision Pro would surely address them.
That said, issues like front glass cracking are not related to software or incompatibility concerns. Apple should quickly address this problem, and show some respect for its high-end customers who’ve spent $3500 on a mixed reality headset, where several Vision Pro alternatives are already available, with a lower price tag, and fewer issues, maybe!
