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Apple’s highly anticipated mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, is now available in several countries outside of the United States, marking a significant expansion for the product. Starting Friday, customers in Australia can purchase the headset, with availability also extending to Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
This expansion follows the headset’s initial launch in Asian markets, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, on June 28.
At Apple’s flagship store on Regent Street in London, customers eagerly booked slots for demos of the Vision Pro. Unlike other established Apple products like iPhones, the Vision Pro’s high price tag and new technology have prompted Apple to offer in-store demos to showcase its capabilities.
When the store opened at 8 a.m. local time, Apple employees welcomed customers with applause. Liam Nicholson, the first to enter the Regent Street store, had pre-booked an appointment to pick up his Vision Pro.
“I think the spatial aspect of it and just feeling immersed was really good. But also still being in touch with the outside world,” Nicholson said, explaining his attraction to the device. “I tried it on at a conference and just felt like I was still in the room. And then someone pulled up a dinosaur demo, the dinosaur comes out to bite your hand and it felt like it was really there. So the clarity of it compared to what I’ve seen with other aspects is amazing.”
Unlike more established products that can be pre-ordered online, the Vision Pro’s in-store demos offer Apple an opportunity to justify the device’s $3,499 price tag (£3,499 in the U.K.) by showcasing its unique features.
Nicholson believes the high price is justified by the device’s integration with the broader Apple ecosystem. “I think as all the apps come on board and things like that, that’s the thing that’s probably really worth it. Like I’ve got an iPhone, got a [Apple] Watch, having it all fit is definitely worth it,” he said.
Bryan Ma, vice president of International Data Corporation, noted the excitement surrounding the Vision Pro due to its novelty and Apple’s advanced implementation. However, Ma highlighted the challenge of sustaining this initial excitement and converting it into long-term sales, given the high price and evolving ecosystem of applications and use cases.
“That will be difficult given not only the currently sky-high price tag, but also the fact that the ecosystem of applications and use cases is still evolving,” Ma said.
In the first quarter, Meta maintained its lead in the mixed/virtual reality headset market, with Apple’s entry placing it in the second position, according to an IDC report published on June 18. Other top players included ByteDance, Xreal, and HTC.
“Both Meta’s Quest 3 and the Vision Pro helped educate users and enticed developers to create mixed reality content, blending the digital and physical worlds,” IDC noted, while also highlighting the premium cost for users.
Apple has reportedly lowered its Vision Pro sales expectations to around 400,000 to 450,000 units in 2024, down from an initial forecast of 700,000 to 800,000, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities. Kuo attributed the reduction to declining demand.
“We’re expecting Apple to ship about 400,000 units this year, almost half of which will be outside of the U.S. That compares to a total market of 7.3 million units. This can ramp up more quickly if we start to see hardware prices come down and utility from the applications increase,” Ma added.