Apple plans to design special areas within select retail stores in the United States to allow customers to try on and use its $3,500 Vision Pro headset early next year, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports.
In early 2024, customers will be required to create in-store appointments to purchase Vision Pro, meaning a walk-in purchase won’t be possible. This is reportedly done to ensure the headset “fits properly” for customers and follows a similar strategy as the Apple Watch in 2015. To ensure a snug fit, Apple is developing an iPhone app that will scan a person’s head alongside a physical scanning machine, according to the report.
To determine the right light seal — the component that keeps light out of a wearer’s field of view — Apple is developing an iPhone app that will scan a person’s head as well as a physical machine. Online purchasers will similarly be asked to upload their prescription data and use the face scan app to determine accessory sizing.
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Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman
With appointments, Vision Pro will be available for purchase at all Apple retail store locations in the United States. However, Apple is prioritizing the special dedicated in-store sections in major stores such as those in New York and Los Angles. The rollout of the headset is described as “Apple’s most complex debut to date,” given the complexity of the headset, accessories, prescription lenses, and training required for retail staff.
The report notes that Apple is unlikely to open up Vision Pro to third-party resellers until at least 2025, the same year a more affordable second-generation version of the headset is rumored to launch. Vision Pro will only be available in the United States at launch, but Bloomberg reports Apple is looking to the United Kingdom and Canada as the first international markets to receive the headset by the end of next year.
