Apple is reportedly switching suppliers for the manufacture of its first mixed reality headset a few months before the start of production. As the Taiwanese industry magazine DigiTimes reports, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron is no longer to act as a contractor. Pegatron was initially considered the exclusive partner for the manufacture of the headset. However, Apple asked Pegatron to pass on the previous preparations for production and final assembly to the Chinese supplier Luxshare. This process is said to have been completed in March.
It was not until the end of March that there were reports that Apple’s first headset was said to be a long time coming. Production will only start in the third quarter. After several earlier date forecasts, the WWDC developer conference was last traded as the presentation date.
Long-term profitable for suppliers
as a reason for the change suspects the DigiTimesthat Pegatron has sold its Shanghai factory to Luxshare, among other things, in order to relocate parts of the production facilities outside of China. This factory arguably plays a crucial role in the headset. For the company, however, the loss of the order should initially have little negative impact on Pegatron. For suppliers, the headset is of particular interest if a mass product actually develops from it. In the first step, if only smaller quantities are produced, the production could become a subsidy business.
According to reports from spring 2022, Apple had been working with Pegatron for four years on the preparations for the headset. The company from Taiwan has gained experience with similar products, among other things, by building the Microsoft Hololens. Apple’s long-standing partner Foxconn is said to be ready for the second generation of the headset. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Pegatron and Luxshare had set up their own joint venture to take over the manufacture of additional headsets.
Premiere: For the first time alone from China
With the acquisition by Luxshare, for the first time a Chinese company will be solely responsible for the manufacture and assembly of a new Apple product at launch. Apple always initially relied on companies from Taiwan and then passed the production on to Chinese companies as the process progressed.
Luxshare already manufactures AirPods for Apple as well as several iPhone and Apple Watch models. Looking ahead, analysts are speculating that Luxshare could also play a role in the iPhone 15 Pro Max and upcoming MacBooks.
(mki)