Customers in the United States can now pre-order Vision Pro via Apple.com and the Apple Store app as the clock strikes 5 a.m. PST. Shipments of Apple’s first spatial computer should reach the hands of customers beginning on Friday, February 2. Customers will also be able to buy the headset from all Apple Store retail locations in the US from that date.
To pre-order Vision Pro, customers need to scan their faces via the Apple Store app on a Face ID-ready iPhone or iPad to measure a suitable fit for the headset’s Light Seal and headbands. After checkout, customers who require corrective eyewear will be asked to provide a US-valid eye prescription to create personalized ZEISS Optical Inserts with the provided measurements.
Apple plans to include various accessories with Vision Pro’s retail box. This will include the Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band, the Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, a front glass cover, a Polishing Cloth, an external battery, a USB-C charging cable, and a USB-C power adapter.
Vision Pro will start at $3,499 with 256GB of storage and 16GB of unified memory. However, Apple employees can enjoy a lavish discount and other financial perks when ordering the headset.
Vision Pro is Apple’s first entry into mixed-reality hardware. The headset features a one-of-its-kind industrial design littered with various sophisticated sensors and chips. Vision Pro comes with dual 4K micro-OLED displays capable of streaming images in 4K resolution per eye. The headset is completely controlled by eye and hand gestures for a controller-free navigation experience powered by visionOS, the company’s first spatial computing operating system.
Vision Pro is powered by the tried and trusted M2 chip in addition to the all-new R1 chip for real-time sensor data processing. The R1 is responsible for the headset’s array of sensors including its dozen cameras, five 3D sensors, and six microphones. This complex system powers Vision Pro’s advanced head, hand, and eye-tracking capabilities. The R1 chip also streams new images to the headset’s displays within 12 milliseconds which is eight times faster than a typical eye blink, keeping latency and motion sickness at a minimum.
The headset also introduced various innovations in other areas such as Apple’s first iris scanner, Optic ID. For an exemplary audio experience, Vision Pro comes with dual speakers powered by audio ray tracing and Spatial Audio for a personalized listening escapade. The EyeSight external display keeps you connected with your surroundings while maintaining immersion when using the headset. Vision Pro is powered by an external two-hour battery and can also be used while plugged in.
Vision Pro is expected to sell out fast due to limited stock availability and the rush of a new Apple product from its most ardent fans. Priced at $3,499, the headset comes with 256GB of storage and is rumored to include 16GB of unified memory. Today’s pre-orders will only be limited to the United States, with Apple rumored to expand Vision Pro availability to more countries before WWDC 2024.
