A small number of Apple Vision Pro owners have claimed that their headsets developed a hairline crack down the middle of the front cover glass, despite having never been dropped or mishandled.
The first report was posted in the subreddit /r/VisionPro about 18 days ago, and several more have appeared in the last week. All of the images show a distinctly similar vertical hairline crack above the nose bridge, implying that the damage is occurring at a particular point of tension, where the curvature of the laminated glass is most pronounced.
We were unable to find additional similar reports on social media, on Apple's online Support Community, or in the MacRumors forums, suggesting that this is quite possibly a manufacturing defect limited to a small batch of units, rather than a widespread problem.
The reports all mention that the crack became visible suddenly and for no apparent reason, after the headsets had been connected to the external battery pack and stored overnight (some in Apple's Travel Case) with the soft front cover attached.
One theory is that the crack is due to pressure exerted on the glass when tightening the straps, which is causing "bowing" of the surrounding frame. Others speculate that the problem may be due to an overheating issue which is expanding the glass and leading it to crack at its weakest point. Given that the battery is external to the headset, any heat generated would presumably need to be caused by a background software process gone haywire.
Apple's documentation states that Apple Vision Pro continues to draw power from the battery pack when it is not in use, allowing the device to sync mail, photos, and other data. If the headset isn't worn for 24 hours, Vision Pro powers down automatically.
With AppleCare, the deductible fee for a cover glass repair costs $300. Without AppleCare coverage, the same repair costs $800. Some of the owners affected say they have contacted Apple Support and have been asked to pay the repair costs, since the crack has not officially been identified as a manufacturing defect.
Apple typically introduces special repair programs for products that have a recognized hardware issue, but Apple is unlikely to undertake an internal manufacturing probe unless reports of identical defects become more widespread. Anyone with the same issue is advised to contact Apple Support and escalate their case to increase the likelihood that Apple sees a potential problem requiring a formal investigation.
