Vision Pro, Apple’s first attempt at a new product line since the HomePod appeared in 2018, is set to arrive in the US early next year. But Apple’s UK fans will have to wait a bit longer to try it for themselves, according to Bloomberg’s sources.
While the piece is largely about the steps American shoppers will have to go through to buy the headset, it does mention Apple’s plans to expand beyond its home market “at the end of 2024”.
The UK and Canada are namechecked as “two of its first international markets” with Europe and Asia coming “soon after”. It does however state that the Apple sources said that a final decision was yet to be made.
Why the slow rollout? While it’s likely to do with the untested nature of a product that, at $3,500, will comfortably be amongst Apple’s most expensive consumer-facing devices, the logistics of selling the headset are also challenging.
The Bloomberg report highlights that Apple doesn’t plan on allowing customers to just wander in and buy one from its 270-plus US locations.
Interested parties will have to book an appointment where their head will be measured in-store using either a physical machine or a currently-in-development iPhone app. This is to ensure a perfect fit, and so that the seal around the eyes effectively blocks out outside light.
Buyers will also be asked to register any lens prescription data in advance of their visit via an online portal.
Online orders will reportedly come in “early 2024”, and will require the same prescription data, with buyers required to “use the face scan app to determine accessory sizing”.
Understandably, Apple would want buyers to have the best possible first impressions of such an expensive product, but it does limit its opportunities to sell it. The fact that the product isn’t just a ‘grab it off the shelf’ experience means that Apple isn’t planning on handing Vision Pro off to third-party distributors until “at least 2025”.
There are also reported technical difficulties in production, with The Financial Times reporting earlier this month that Apple is now preparing fewer than 400,000 units in year one, thanks to the headset’s complex design.
How much that $3,500 will translate to on this side of the Atlantic? We’ve speculated on this point elsewhere, but the long and short of it is that it’s very unlikely to be under £3,500 — over three times the price of the Meta Quest Pro since its price dropped by a third, three months after it became available.
