Apple is planning to sell its $3,499 Vision Pro headset on an appointment-only basis at launch, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. According to Gurman, Apple will create designated sections where customers can try on the headset in its stores, with the first ones appearing at stores in major areas like New York and Los Angeles.

Apple will reportedly ask in-store buyers to schedule an appointment to purchase the Vision Pro, similar to the rollout of the first Apple Watch in 2015. During the appointment, Gurman says Apple will ensure that the Vision Pro fits the wearer and also outfit the device with prescription lens inserts if needed. Gurman says Apple Stores will need to keep “hundreds or thousands of lenses” in stock as a result.

The other element he mentions is that Apple’s working on both an iPhone app and a physical machine that scans a person’s head to figure out if it has the right light seal — a component that prevents light from interfering with a wearer’s field of view. When the company opens online orders in the US in early 2024, it will reportedly have customers upload their lens prescription and their head scan data.

The demos at the last WWDC didn’t include that step, with only a vision test and ear scanning for spatial audio.

The headset, which is set to launch in the US early next year, won’t be available in other countries until late 2024, Gurman says. After it releases the Vision Pro in the US, Apple will reportedly bring the headset to the UK and Canada afterward, with other countries in Asia and Europe to follow. The company doesn’t plan on bringing the device to third-party retailers until at least 2025, Gurman notes.

Apple may also be working on some additional accessories for the Vision Pro. According to Gurman, it’s exploring a second strap that goes across the wearer’s head to help people with “smaller body sizes and heads” wear the headset for long periods of time. It is also looking into creating a shoulder pouch for the Vision Pro headset’s external battery pack, as some people who wear certain kinds of cultural apparel may not have pockets.

]]> https://www.latest-apple-news.com/2023/07/07/apple-preps-measured-appointment-only-sales-of-apple-vision-pro/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:08:04 +0000 https://macdailynews.com/?p=264103 Early next year, Apple is planning a retail launch of its Vision Pro headset in America with appointment-only sales and in-store promotions…

The post Apple preps measured, appointment-only sales of Apple Vision Pro appeared first on MacDailyNews. Early next year, Apple is planning a retail launch of its Vision Pro headset in America with appointment-only sales and in-store promotions in its retail store chain.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:

The company will designate special areas in the stores with seating, headset demo units and tools to size accessories for buyers. While the device will be sold at all of Apple’s roughly 270 US locations, the company is planning the sections for the Vision Pro initially at stores in major areas — such as New York and Los Angeles — before rolling them out nationwide, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

Apple said it will offer the headset in other countries at the end of 2024. The company is discussing the UK and Canada as two of its first international markets with Asia and Europe soon after, although a final decision hasn’t been made, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal matters. Apple engineers are working to localize the device for France, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, the people said.

Apple will also sell the Vision Pro through its U.S. web store in early 2024 before expanding online elsewhere…

To push the category to more consumers, Apple is working on a cheaper model as well as a second-generation Pro version for release by 2026.

MacDailyNews Take: Although the user experience is said to be very intuitive (you already know how to use visioOS), with multiple head bands and light seals in different sizes and optional Carl Zeiss prescription lenses for those who need them, it makes sense for Apple to start with a very measured rollout in order to maximize early adopters’ satisfaction.

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Bloomberg today released a report describing some of the planning going on in the Apple retail division to prepare for the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, previously announced as available in the US “early next year.”

The report says that — at least out the gate — Vision Pro will only be purchasable by appointment. Apple retail workers will help ensure customers get a Vision Pro with an appropriately fitting headband and light seal. It will represent the most logistically complex rollout ever for an Apple product.

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The post WSJ: Goldman Sachs wants to bail on Apple Card partnership after $1B loss, in talks with Amex appeared first on 9to5Mac.

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Apple says that it has doubled its initial $100M commitment to the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative since it launched back in 2020.

With $200M already invested, the company has today announced a further $25M in venture capital funding – and is also continuing the gradual international rollout of the program …

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