Apple Vision Pro hit the stores recently, and we’ve already seen everything about it, from reviews to drop tests from enthusiasts and experts. Now, DIY repair gurus over at iFixit pulled the device apart to show the world what’s inside Apple’s first mixed-reality headset in a YouTube video and a detailed blog.
In the video, we witness the disassembly of Apple’s $3,499 AR/VR headset, answering some questions about its engineering, weight, hardware components, repairability, and more. However, the most fascinating part of the teardown is the disclosure of the magic behind the EyeSight technology.
The Secret of Apple Vision Pro’s EyeSight Technology
After disconnecting the strap arms and lighting connectors from the battery pack with a SIM ejector tool, the teardown begins with the removal of the outer glass panel. Upon unearthing the outer glass, we can witness that the display has three layers: a lenticular layer, a widening layer, and an OLED panel.
In order to display the wearer’s eyes on the screen, the process starts with the OLED panel displaying multiple face images that are equally divvied up and passed through the first lenticular layer and then to another lenticular layer to widen the image so it can fit the image into the display area.
Next, it goes to a secondary lens to give the image of your eyes a 3D effect, as the image splits into two images in the previous layer. Finally, after going through all three layers and all the processing, it results in a 3D-ish video of the user’s eyes.
We then see the removal of several tiny screws to detach Vision Pro’s fabric mesh, lens, and display. After successfully disconnecting the final piece, we get to see the hardware components of the Vision Pro that powers the device.
While folks at iFix didn’t reveal a repairability score of the Vision Pro after the teardown, we can make an educated guess by looking at the components and their durability that repairing it won’t be cheap. What we still don’t know, however, is whether the device is hard to repair or not.
However, thanks to the teardown, we now know that replacing the external battery pack won’t be a major issue. The battery pack can be easily disconnected and replaced with a new one.