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Apple may have finalized a release date for its first-gen XR (extended reality) headset, the Apple Vision Pro. According to a Bloomberg report, the headset will arrive on the market in February 2024. The publication hasn’t shared a date but says the company has urged software developers to “get ready” for the Vision Pro’s market debut, hinting at an imminent release.
Apple is gearing up to release the Vision Pro
Apple announced the Vision Pro in June. The company then said the $3,500 XR headset would debut in “early 2024” but didn’t provide a precise date. Reports suggested it would come as early as January. However, the Korean media recently said Apple has pushed back the release to March, supposedly to give a finishing touch to the product. After all, it has to justify a huge price tag.
Meanwhile, sources have told Bloomberg that the Vision Pro is headed to the market in February. It appears Apple has made significant progress in readying the headset for retail debut. The production is already in full swing, with the company aiming to complete the production of customer-bound units by the end of January. A market release will follow shortly.
The publication also obtained an email Apple sent to app and software developers. It encouraged the developers to start testing their Vision Pro apps with the latest tools. The firm also asked them to send their software to Apple for feedback and get ready for the headset’s market debut. All of this hints at a nearing release. Unless there is a last-minute hiccup, a February or March release looks highly likely.
Since the Vision Pro is an entirely new product in the Apple family—the first new product category since the company entered the smartwatch market in 2015—it needs to train employees to properly wear and use the headset, so they can demonstrate the product better in front of prospective buyers. The firm plans to start the training in January. It would train at least two employees from each of its retail outlets.
Samsung is working on its Vision Pro alternative
Apple’s Vision Pro may have a new competition in the market within months or weeks of its debut. Samsung is also working on its own XR headset, allegedly called the Galaxy Glass. It is hurrying to release the product in early 2024. The Samsung device may not be as premium as the Vision Pro but is expected to bear a lot of functional similarities to the latter. The two tech giants appear all prepared for an XR battle next year.