A couple of weeks after Vision Pro’s preorders went live, the headset is now available for sale through Apple’s retail stores in the US.
If you could not get your preorder, grab the $3,499 mixed-reality headset from your nearest Apple store today. And if you preordered on time, your unit should arrive later today.
Also, if you didn’t feel comfortable laying down that kind of cash for a face-hugging computer without trying it first, you can book an online demo at an Apple Store — but it’s likely to be difficult to book a session. Apple’s booking system appears to be overwhelmed, and big crowds are mobbing Apple’s stores.
Vision Pro now available across US Apple retail stores
Apple announced the Vision Pro at WWDC23 more than seven months ago. Apple pitches the mixed-reality headset as the “ultimate entertainment device.” Early Vision Pro reviews call the headset “a revolution,” though reviewers complained about its weight and called EyeSight — a feature that shows a creepy digital version of the wearer’s eyes on an exterior display — a waste.
While the Vision Pro with 256GB costs $3,499, it can cost you much more than that. The 512GB and 1TB variants cost $3,699 and $3,899, respectively. Apple also sells a travel case and a spare battery pack for $199 each. And if you wear glasses, you can add $99 reader lens or $149 Zeiss prescription lens inserts.
If you have been recording 3D spatial video using your iPhone 15 Pro for the past few months, you can view them in their spatial glory on the Vision Pro.
Before dawn, a long line of customers waited outside Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, which has been fitted with a huge, eye-catching Vision Pro display on its famous glass cube0p9lgt7u.
They were greeted by Apple CEO Tim Cook, who flew to New York to mingle with a huge crowd of shoppers and press. Outside, there was a long line all morning of shoppers waiting to be among the first to check it out.
The first person to buy a headset ran a gauntlet of applauding staff when they emerged from the store.
Book a Vision Pro demo at an Apple Store
For people with commitment issues, Apple is holding in-person demos at Apple Stores. The free 30-minute sessions showcase the mixed-reality headset’s best features. You can go to the store and try to set one up today, or you can try to book one for next week.
To sign up for one, go to Apple’s Vision Pro product page and click the “Book a demo” button. Alternatively, you can use the Apple Store app.
Sessions are available starting February 5. However, early Friday morning, both Apple’s website and the Apple Store app served up a steady string of “Sorry, something went wrong” error messages during the booking process, perhaps due to overwhelming demand.
Vision Pro’s App Store has more than a million apps already
Although the Vision Pro is unlikely to be as big a hit as Apple’s iPhone 15 lineup, launch day stocks could sell out soon due to limited availability and early adopters’ interest in the headset.
If you get the Vision Pro today, you can try more than 600 new spatial and games coded specifically for the headset. In total, the visionOS App Store will have more than 1 million apps, since most iOS and iPad apps can run on the headset without modification.
