Since they were announced, Apple’s virtual reality and augmented reality glasses have managed to ignite passions among the public and the press. We are talking about VR/AR glasses that could be the first step in changing our way of interacting with consumer technology.
Well, it seems that Apple will begin mass shipments of its Vision Pro mixed reality glasses “in the first week of January”, before launching them in Apple Stores at the end of January or early February, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a note published yesterday.
Kuo added that Apple plans to ship “approximately 500,000” Vision Pro glasses in its attempt to kick off the launch of its most important product in years in the best possible way.
They will arrive just after Christmas… and in small quantities
“Most likely, Vision Pro will hit store shelves by the end of January or early February, according to the current schedule of mass shipments,” explains Kuo. This coincides with a recent report from reliable Apple analyst Mark Gurman, who stated last week that Apple was preparing to start selling the headset “by February.”
Apple has yet to reveal a specific release date, as in June they said the glasses would arrive in stores “early 2024”. After that, speculation grew that it was most likely that Apple would start selling the mixed reality glasses in March 2024.
But with these two main informants saying more or less the same, it seems increasingly likely that Apple will start selling the Vision Pro in about a month, a little earlier than originally expected.
Quoting people with knowledge of the matter, Gurman said in his report last week that Apple is now “accelerating production” of the Vision Pro in its factories in China, “setting the stage for a launch in February.” He added that manufacturing of the Vision Pro has been running “at full speed in Chinese facilities” in recent weeks.
As the launch approaches, the technology giant has also sent an email to software developers, encouraging them to prepare for the new mixed reality glasses by testing their applications and sending their software to Apple for feedback.
Apple also plans to train Apple Store staff on the best way to present and demonstrate the usefulness of the glasses to potential customers.
