Apple’s Vision Pro won’t ship outside US for over a year

Apple says it intends launching its much-hyped Vision Pro headset “early next year” in the US, but the system won’t ship in the UK or Canada until at least the end of 2024, Bloomberg claims.

Keeping it localized

That’s not to say the company isn’t trying. Its engineers are already working to localize the device for France, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. And it isn’t as if Canadian or UK Apple fans should feel too hard done by – they may be waiting another year, but they are on the line to become the first nations outside of the US to get the new device.

Apple also has plans to sell these systems via its retail stores.

Those plans mean we will need to troop down to an Apple Store to try the devices and be guided through the first steps of use, at least at first. Most stores will only have one or two demo units, and customers will need to make an appointment to purchase one. Staff will probably have a solution for potential customers with small heads and bodies by then, I assume.

Seeding and feeding

It’s pretty evident at this point that all these plans really lead toward seeding and testing the market, reaching early adopters, and building the foundations for a wider app ecosystem on the road to new versions of these devices in 2025.

We’ve read reports claiming Apple’s sales targets for Vision Pro are perhaps as many as 400,000 units or as low as 130,000. It kind of depends when they ship, and what the market reaction will be. It also depends on whether those claims are true, given total silence on the topic from Apple’s manufacturing chain.

[Also read: How to use eyes and gestures to control Vision Pro]

What I think will happen is that Apple will experience far more interest than it anticipates. And, if developers get the experience designs right, we may see queues form outside retail stores as customers rush to at least try these things out for themselves.

When delays are a good thing

They may be waiting for a while, however, as components and supply chain problems are likely to dent momentum once these products do appear. The availability of MicroLED displays may form a stumbling block, though it is possible the company may find alternative suppliers to current incumbent, Sony, to expand production faster. Samsung and LG Display seem to be making moves to get their own MicroLED production facilities growing.

Of course, any delay in shipping these products in quantity will be a shame, but it will also give developers – and Apple – more time to weave a basketful of additional features and secrets inside its mixed reality devices. Meanwhile, the company will no doubt do all it can to excite and entice potential customers in the months until then.

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