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Apple Vision Pro Battery Pack Power Cable is Removable
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The primary reason for two new proprietary connectors is likely aimed at increasing device security by limiting access to visionOS. This cable probably allows authorized Apple technicians to install the OS and perform diagnostics. The secondary, and more obvious reason is to prevent users from experimentally connecting their new AVP to various dongles, cables, or other devices. I am not surprised Apple created a new cable but I am kind of surprised they favored USB-C and did not include a third option to use the MacBook-style Magsafe connector on the AVP battery brick.
The cable that connects the Vision Pro battery pack to the headset for power purposes appears to be fixed in place, but it can in fact be removed if necessary.
Journalist Ray Wong was able to use a SIM card pin to "unlock" the cable, and after he did that, it was able to be removed from the battery pack. There is a small hole located next to the cable, which is apparently a locking mechanism.
The cable that attaches the battery pack to the headset looks similar to a Lightning cable, but it has too many pins to be Lightning. Instead, it is a proprietary cable that won't be able to be connected to other accessories or used for another purpose.
Apple likely made the cable removable so that it can be swapped out without the need to replace the entire battery pack should the cable get damaged in some way.
The Vision Pro ships with one battery, and additional modules can be purchased for $199 each. Each battery powers the Vision Pro for somewhere around two to three hours depending on content. The battery also has a USB-C port that can be used with a USB-C cable for charging the battery, with passthrough charging supported.
Article Link: Apple Vision Pro Battery Pack Power Cable is Removable
If it was USB-C you can attach it to a larger powerbank or even USB-C PD charger.
My guess here is Apple wants to avoid potential electrocution for a device you attach to your face.
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Those Liquidmetal SIM ejectors are the best ejectors in the world! 😆
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Awesome title from The Verge (not working for them, etc):
https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/31/24057392/apple-vision-pro-battery-lightning-cable
You can just duct tape the apple battery to the back of a larger 3rd party usb c battery, which is what a lot of people will end up doing; by this point the apple battery just becomes a fancy dongle.
Because USB-C is easy to pull out. This whole device is intended to move your hands around. Moving hands + dangling cable = repeated loss of power, hence a locking cable. USB-C is a flawed physical design. I’ve lost at least ten USB-C ports over the years on multiple Apple devices in the family, even 3/4 on my daughter’s MacBook Pro with the fourth weakly hanging on and barely able to power the laptop. My wife’s iPad connector lost the ability to hold a cable in less than a year, making the Magic Keyboard the only way to charge it.
Repeated insertions and removals loosens the cable so badly, the cable won’t stay in. The problem with the USB-C physical design is that they put the male part inside the socket. Protruding parts are the weak parts of any design and are the main reason most connectors put the weak part on the cable. USB-C puts the strong part on the cable and the weak part in the socket, making it dreadfully expensive to repair.
As for MagSafe, the whole idea is to keep the cable from disconnecting. MagSafe’s main feature is the ability to disconnect easily so the device doesn’t go crashing to the floor. That’s counterproductive for this product, especially when your head keeps the headset from falling to the ground. Imagine the returns and complaints because the cable disconnects too easily. If the device cannot be hot swapped when the battery runs out, that makes it doubly frustrating if the cable keeps falling off.
If this is what’s holding you back, you’re not going to convince me that you would buy one anyway.
For those who insisted on USB-C instead of a proprietary cable, after trying the Vision Pro, there's no way USB-C would work with this thing. I used it while sitting up, never moving anywhere. I knocked the battery off the side table about a dozen times just by turning my body or moving my arms in the three hours I was wearing it. With USB-C, the battery pack would have been disconnected from the Vision Pro about a dozen times as the weight of the falling battery would yank the cable right off the headset. A locking cable is an absolute must. I theorized this would be the case, but now I've tried it, there is no question that one is needed.