Apple will continue to keep the "Vision Pro" team to operate independently

彭博社的马克·古尔曼报道称，苹果公司负责VisionPro的专门团队将继续作为自己的部门运作，与公司其他负责管理多个产品线的团队基本独立。对于苹果最大的产品线，如iPhone、iPad、Mac等，苹果并没有专门负责每个产品线的团队。相反，苹果通过软件工程、硬件开发、机器学习、设计等部门进行组织。这是史蒂夫·乔布斯在1990年代设立的结构，允许整个团队根据需要分配资源给各个产品线。

However, when developing the Apple Vision Pro, Apple set up a dedicated department for the headset, the Technology Development Group. According to reports, this dedicated group has now been internally renamed Vision Products Group (VPG), with Mike Rockwell in charge.

Gurman reported that this specialized department maintains its own independent hardware, software and other teams that work exclusively on the Vision product line. Although they have their own team, Vision Products Group still needs to work with other departments, such as the design department or the team responsible for the headset's M1 and R1 processor chips. Likewise, Vision Products Group relies on the frameworks and other building blocks that Craig Federighi's software engineering team creates for iOS and macOS.

According to Gurman's report, Apple plans not to integrate Vision Products Group into other parts of the company after the headset's release. Instead, Apple reportedly intends to maintain its current structure, meaning Vision Pro will be one of the few product groups with independent teams.

Gurman believes this could be due to the cutting-edge and complex nature of the headset, or because Apple wants the headset to be integrated into managing high-margin products like the iPhone and Mac before it has enough of an impact on the company's bottom line. in the team. Likewise, Gurman speculates that "a single team operating in a startup-like environment can develop a first-generation product more quickly and with greater secrecy."

Another important piece of information is that the division's new name, Vision Products Group, emphasizes "products." This is another clear sign that Apple is developing other headsets in the Vision series, possibly including the previously reported budget headset model, which may have recently been delayed to 2026.

As Gurman noted in his report, Apple took a similar "dedicated teams" approach when it launched the Apple Watch in 2015. The Apple Watch team works under COO Jeff Williams rather than a larger team led by the company's software and hardware chiefs.

Many people compare earlier versions of the Apple Watch to the Vision Pro. The former launched without a single key use case, a common criticism that the Vision Pro has received since its debut.

Apple Vision Pro is reportedly scheduled to begin shipping in the U.S. in early 2024, with a "very slow rollout" at that point, with the U.K. and Canada likely to be expansion markets by the end of the year.