Why didn't Apple include a bigger battery? To prevent users from wearing the headset too long?

[bushman4]

The headset we saw at WEDC 2023 is a work in progress! By the time it is available to buy things will change

 

[Alex Cai]

Current rumors put the Vision Pro battery pack at 18 Whr. Why didn't Apple include a bigger battery to double the runtime? A 37 Whr power bank (10,000 mAh) weighs 200 grams, or about the same as iPhone 14 Pro/Plus. So it can't be because it's too heavy.

Ross Young's DSCC says "I suspect Apple made a conscious decision not to provide a bigger battery, to prevent users to wear the headset for too long."

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Could there be health, behavioral, or psychological risks from wearing the headset too long?

Since Apple never spoke about swappable headbands, more accessories will be explained. Thus other battery options and power plugs would appear sometime in the future.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

According to some people who got to try it on YouTube and Podcasts and such, the battery pack is very dense, heavy, and warm, but not uncomfortable
They probably chose the battery they did so it wouldn’t be too hot, two dents, too heavy, and too uncomfortable.
It's already apparently about the weight and size of two iPhones stacked together, not sure how much bigger and bulky you could make it without totally destroying any portability this device might have

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The headset we saw at WEDC 2023 is a work in progress! By the time it is available to buy things will change

And this is based on what?
The first generation Apple Watch we saw in September 2014… Was the one that shipped in April 2015.
The HomePod that was introduced in June 2017… Was the same that shipped in February 2018.
The iPad that was announced in January 2010 is the same one that shipped in April 2010.
Also, mass production of the headset is supposed to start within the next three months, for early 2024. Not almost a year from now, months. It's finished, it's done.

Besides extremely small manufacturing related tweaks, and software improvements, the product we saw last week will be, for the most part, the product that ships.
No secret bump to M3, no massive price cut, nothing like that.
This is Apple we’re talking about.

 

[TLewis]

1. I'd be surprised if Apple didn't publish the technical specs for the proprietary connector at the headset end. Not publishing that would be like not publishing the specs of the lightning connector and not allowing 3rd parties to use the lightning connector. Publishing the specs will also allow 3rd parties to produce the 30lb/14kg battery packs that people here seem to want. I'm sure Apple chose the Vision Pro's battery pack as the size that most people would be comfortable with. Remember when the first steel-framed iPhone Pro Maxes came out? So many people were complaining about the weight. Apple likely wants to avoid "bad social media" press like that and so the battery is a "comfortable" size.
2. Apple satisfies the EU regulations by having a USB C port on the battery. AFAIK, the EU regulations are for charging and not powering a device (without battery). Otherwise, the law would also apply to other things without batteries like a coffee maker or table lamp, and we know that's not happening.
3. We've yet to see the how "plugging the headset into the wall" operates. However, there's a good chance that's done by simply having a USB C to proprietary headset connector cable.
4. If Apple does go the unlikely route of only using a USB C port on the battery (no direct cable), there's a decent chance there will be some kind of power pass-through functionality, like the power goes from the charger to the headset and bypasses the battery once the battery is fully charged. That would be a Apple quality-of-life feature to get around the battery power inefficiency (and is not something that many USB batteries have).

 

[dante_mr]

Besides extremely small manufacturing related tweaks, and software improvements, the product we saw last week will be, for the most part, the product that ships.
No secret bump to M3, no massive price cut, nothing like that.
This is Apple we’re talking about.

I'm so sad the Vision Pro won't be using a newer chip.

I know the M2 is an incredible chip and that TSMC's 3nm is probably not ready for the AVP's production schedule but the updated design would have probably brought better thermals and efficiency given the same power (maybe. I'm not well versed at this stuff at all).

Especially given the M2 will about 2 years old by the time the AVP releases. And the M3 will probably be announced around the same time sales start. So we're already starting with an "outdated" chip.

 

[sonic1000]

1. I'd be surprised if Apple didn't publish the technical specs for the proprietary connector at the headset end. Not publishing that would be like not publishing the specs of the lightning connector and not allowing 3rd parties to use the lightning connector. Publishing the specs will also allow 3rd parties to produce the 30lb/14kg battery packs that people here seem to want. I'm sure Apple chose the Vision Pro's battery pack as the size that most people would be comfortable with. Remember when the first steel-framed iPhone Pro Maxes came out? So many people were complaining about the weight. Apple likely wants to avoid "bad social media" press like that and so the battery is a "comfortable" size.
2. Apple satisfies the EU regulations by having a USB C port on the battery. AFAIK, the EU regulations are for charging and not powering a device (without battery). Otherwise, the law would also apply to other things without batteries like a coffee maker or table lamp, and we know that's not happening.
3. We've yet to see the how "plugging the headset into the wall" operates. However, there's a good chance that's done by simply having a USB C to proprietary headset connector cable.
4. If Apple does go the unlikely route of only using a USB C port on the battery (no direct cable), there's a decent chance there will be some kind of power pass-through functionality, like the power goes from the charger to the headset and bypasses the battery once the battery is fully charged. That would be a Apple quality-of-life feature to get around the battery power inefficiency (and is not something that many USB batteries have).

Tbf the Type C requirements are moot until 2025, albeit Apple gains nothing from not using it on the headset. Hell, laptops won't have to change until '26.

 

[Henroman]

Maybe a bigger battery costs might just eat into the sales margins

 

[dumastudetto]

I believe Apple will be offering bigger batteries as a purchase option for several hundred bucks. So if you really need it, you can buy it.