If you were hoping that Apple’s Vision Pro “space computer” was anything but an extremely niche device, first of all… Truly? Have you seen that price? But more importantly, Apple itself disagrees.
According to a new report, the company is planning a very slow rollout of the device, with initial sales in select stores across the US. And if you want to buy one, you’ll need to make an appointment.
There will be special areas in the stores with seating, one or two demonstration units and tools for sizing accessories. To determine the right light sigil, Apple is said to be developing an iPhone app that will scan your head, as well as a physical machine used for the same purpose.
Stores with these special sections will initially only be found in “core areas” like New York and Los Angeles, before rolling out nationwide at a later date. Apple doesn’t plan to offer Vision Pro to third-party resellers until at least 2025, given how complicated in-store setup must be. US online sales via Apple’s online store will debut in early 2024.
The headset will then arrive in other countries in late 2024 and the top two are expected to be the UK and Canada. Then, Asia and Europe will follow “soon after,” but we’re now in 2025. For what it’s worth, Apple engineers are working on localizations for France, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, and this should give you an idea of where it expects to ultimately deliver it.
The company is already working on a second-generation Pro model, expected to debut by 2026, as well as a cheaper non-Pro Vision headset. Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple has halved its first-year sales estimates from 900,000 to under 400,000, due to the complex manufacturing process involved.
Interestingly, during testing of the Vision Pro, Apple determined that some people with “smaller body sizes and heads” would have difficulty wearing it for more than half an hour. A second strap that sits on top of a user’s head is under development to alleviate this problem, but its design hasn’t been finalized yet.
Hilariously enough, the Vision Pro has built-in warnings to dissuade users from wearing it if they exceed a certain speed – this is meant to prevent walking into a wall or object. Apple has also thought about those who want to use the headset on planes or in cars, and there’s a dedicated “Travel Mode” that will disable the aforementioned alerts.
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