Apple 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.
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