Apple is about to begin mass shipments of Vision Pro, report says
Apple will begin mass shipments of its Vision Pro headset next week before launching it in late January or early February, a new report claims.
UsenB
By
Trevor Mogg
December 25, 2023 5:05PM 
AppleApple will begin mass shipments of its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset “in the first week of January” before launching it in Apple Stores in late January or early February, oft-reliable supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note on Monday.
Kuo added that Apple plans to ship “approximately 500,000” Vision Pro devices as it seeks to get its most important product launch in years off to the best possible start.
“Vision Pro will most likely hit the store shelves in late January or early February based on the current mass shipment schedule,” Kuo said in comments that chimed with a recent report from reliable Apple analyst Mark Gurman, who claimed last week that Apple was preparing to start selling the headset “by February.”
Apple has yet to reveal a specific launch date, saying in June when it unveiled the Vision Pro that it would land in stores in “early 2024.” After that, speculation grew that Apple would most likely start selling the mixed-reality headset in March 2024.
But with these two leading tipsters saying pretty much the same thing, it looks increasingly likely that Apple will start selling the Vision Pro in about a month’s time, a little earlier than originally expected.
In his report last week, citing people with knowledge of the matter, Gurman said that Apple is now “ramping up production” of the Vision Pro at its factories in China, “setting the stage for a launch by February.” He added that the manufacturing of the Vision Pro has been running “at full speed at facilities in China” for the last few weeks.
As the launch nears, the tech giant has also reportedly sent an email to software developers encouraging them to get ready for the new mixed-reality headset by testing their apps and sending their software to Apple for feedback.
Apple is also planning to train Apple Store staff on how best to present and demonstrate the Vision Pro to potential customers.
Will the Vision Pro be a success? It’s impossible to say yet, but one factor that may deter many potential customers is the hefty $3,499 price tag. Apple is also rumored to be developing a cheaper version, but it could be a while before it hits stores.
Editors' Recommendations
Apple ramping up production of Vision Pro ahead of sooner-than-expected launch Will the Vision Pro replace the Mac? Why Apple will have to tread carefully Apple is repeating a major mistake from its past with the Vision Pro Vision Pro 2: everything we expect from the future of Apple’s headsets Apple’s first OLED MacBooks are still years away, says report
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Apple said to be redesigning the Vision Pro headset in 2 important ways
Apple finally took the wraps off its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset in June.
The Vision Pro is sleek and stylish and comes packed with features, though the hefty $3,500 price tag is bound to be prohibitive for many of those interested in the new device.
Apple’s cheaper Vision Pro headset may have been scrapped, report claims
Apple’s Vision Pro headset is still months away from launching, but one well-known analyst has already painted a bleak picture for the device. According to the assessment, Apple might have canceled a low-cost version of the Vision Pro, leaving potential customers in the lurch.
The news was published in a report from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is thought to have well-placed sources in Apple’s supply chain. Previous leaks have suggested that Apple is working on a cheaper edition of the Vision Pro -- due to launch in 2025 -- to help users who can’t afford the base model’s $3,499 price tag, but Kuo thinks those plans might have been scrapped entirely.
Apple Vision Pro: release date, price, specs, and more
In June, Apple announced its first XR headset, the Vision Pro. As expected, the hardware blows away every other VR and AR headset on the market. Unfortunately, the advanced technology packed into the svelte and stylish Vision Pro headset drives the price out of reach of most consumers.
A new standard for XR headsets
For $3,499, the Apple Reality Pro sets a new standard for AR, VR, and the all-inclusive term XR. It allows you to place virtual screens around your Mac, take FaceTime calls without digging into your pocket, and write emails from your couch from a device Apple calls a "spatial computer."
