Apple Begins Shipping Vision Pro to Warehouses in the US as Retail Stores Prepare for February Launch: Report

Apple Vision Pro, the company’s first release in a brand-new product category in nearly a decade, is nearing its launch. While the Cupertino, California-based company hasn’t specified a launch date, the mixed reality headset is confirmed to be arriving in early 2024. Recent reports have placed the release window for the Vision Pro around late January or early February. Apple Stores in the US are preparing for stocks to arrive ahead of the headset’s retail launch. In fact, Apple has reportedly begun shipping the Vision Pro to warehouses in the US.

In his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman claimed that limited stocks of Apple’s spatial computer had started shipping out to warehouses in the US ahead of distribution to retail stores. While the Vision Pro is currently shipping in small quantities, the iPhone maker reportedly believes it will have sufficient supply by the end of this month to cater for a February launch.

Gurman also noted that Apple could make an official Vision Pro announcement “in the next week or so,” right in the heels of CES 2024, which kicks off Tuesday. According to the newsletter, retail employees from Apple Stores across the US are heading to Cupertino to train for an unnamed new product. Back in December, Gurman had reported that Apple was scheduling these training seminars for its retail staff to teach them how to setup and operate the high-end headset, and how to sell it to a potential customer. Bear in mind that the premium AR/VR headset from Apple, initially only available in the US, retails at an eye-watering $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2,91,400).

Additionally, according to Gurman, Apple Stores in the US will hold meetings to discuss sales procedures and impart further training to all employees on January 21. Towards the end of the month, retail stores will also get new inventory racks and backroom equipment for the Vision Pro. Furthermore, Apple has reportedly been filing hardware and software design patents for the headset in recent weeks, which hints at an imminent launch.

Apple might also delay Vision Pro pre-orders for shipping directly to customers, opting instead for an appointment-based pickup at retail stores, where buyers could get a customised product experience and fitting. The newsletter also claimed that the company plans to introduce the mixed reality headset to markets in China, Canada, and the UK following its US-only launch.

In December, TF securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, too, had claimed that the Vision Pro was set to hit store shelves by late January or early February. Kuo had said that the headset would be Apple’s “most important product of 2024”and the company intended to ship as many as 5,00,000 units in 2024.

Last week, a few details about the Web browsing experience on Apple’s wearable spatial computer leaked ahead of launch. A user on X posted a demo of the Safari browser running on the Apple Vision Pro in 3D space. The leaked video showed smooth animations for the browser when switching between different tabs and the ability to interact with 3D objects within Safari.