Apple Vision Pro teardown reveals how complex this headset is — I’m anxious just watching it

Apple Vision Pro
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Apple Vision Pro is an impressive piece of kit, and it’s pretty incredible what Apple has managed to do — even if the Persona and EyeSight features are a little creepy. But have you wondered what it took to make all that happen, and actually build a functional Vision Pro? Then iFixit’s first teardown of the headset may be pretty enlightening for you.

Needless to say, the Apple Vision Pro looks like an incredibly complicated headset. The video itself has been condensed down to a palatable 6 minutes, but it definitely does not look like an easy job. Which means any Vision Pro repairs that need doing are going to be a hassle for whichever technician is tasked with the job.

See what I mean? While the process of taking off the strap and other external components looks simple enough, the Vision Pro headset itself is complicated. Least of all because the various displays are made up of multiple different components. 

Weirdly, though, you can still take off the first few layers of outer glass without affecting the performance of the headset itself — though EyeSight will look even creepier than usual.

Inside the headset, to my untrained eye, looks like a mess of cables, screws and components that I’d no doubt break just by looking at them the wrong way. It’s enough to make you wonder how Apple managed to assemble this thing in the first place, and just how easy it will be to repair things that are buried under that maze of removable parts. 

And that complexity seems to be reflected in Apple’s repair pricing. Currently only two options are available: “cracked cover glass” will cost you $799 to fix and a generic “other damage” will cost you an insane $2,399. Which is just over two thirds the cost of a brand new headset. Both those repairs are $299 with Apple Care Plus, which itself is $499 for two years.

Apple may make the Vision Pro eligible for sel- service repair in the near future, but I know I wouldn’t want to be the one to have to do that fix.

So if you have a Vision Pro, be sure to take care of the thing. Don’t go around using it in ridiculous places, be it crossing the street or behind the wheel of a vehicle.

More from Tom's Guide

Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

Read more
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro review: A revolution in progress
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro major upgrade tipped with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Apple Vision Pro on table
Vision Pro could soon get an Apple Intelligence upgrade, but can it boost sales?
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
New Samsung XR headset report tips mass production for April — but I'm worried about the price
Apple Vision Pro on table
Apple Vision Pro is getting a big Apple Intelligence upgrade with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Apple Vision Pro
Apple reportedly working on two different Vision Pro headsets — Vision Pro 2 and a cheaper model
Latest in VR & AR
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
New Samsung XR headset report tips mass production for April — but I'm worried about the price
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
Samsung’s new XR headset just tipped for a big advantage over the Apple Vision Pro
Samsung's Project Moohan with Android XR at Galaxy Unpacked 2025
Samsung’s bringing its Project Moohan headset to MWC 2025 — what we know
Project Cambria VR headset teaser
Valve VR headset just tipped to launch by end of this year — and this could be the price
Apple Vision Pro on table
Apple Vision Pro is getting a big Apple Intelligence upgrade with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro major upgrade tipped with visionOS 2.4 — here's all the new features
Latest in News
Great Celebrity Bake Off 2025
How to watch ‘The Great Celebrity Bake Off' 2025 online – episode 1 streaming now
MacBook Pro 2023
New Mac attack is tricking users into thinking their computer is locked — how to stay safe
huawei pura x
Huawei's Pura X is the most unique foldable phone design in years
Large group of protesters in Turkey following Instanbul mayor's arrest
Turkey sees huge VPN usage spike amid reports of social media crackdown
Google Pixel 9a hands-on.
Pixel 9a’s on-device AI isn’t as good as the Pixel 9 — here’s what’s different
Gangs of London Series 3
How to watch 'Gangs of London' season 3 online – stream British gangster drama from anywhere, is it available in the U.S.?