According to the report, Apple will steadily roll out the $3,500 Vision Pro headsets as a part of a slow, piecemeal rollout that can require customers to make in-person appointments at the tech giant’s shops early next 12 months.
The move comes after reports that Apple has hit a significant production snafus that can limit production of headsets to lower than 400,000 next 12 months – a major cut from initial projections by greater than double that quantity.
The fledgling $3 trillion company plans to sell devices in specially designated sections of its 270 locations across the country where potential buyers can check out the technology, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
Apple is reportedly planning an initial launch in major cities reminiscent of Latest York and Los Angeles early next 12 months before expanding to other US markets.
The Post asked Apple for comment.
![According to the report, Apple will require customers to make in-person appointments next year if they want to buy a Vision Pro headset.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010711835.jpg?w=1024)
US consumers can start ordering Vision Pro headsets through Apple’s online store from early 2024, Bloomberg News reported.
Apple will reportedly start selling the Vision Pro headsets to customers in Canada and the UK late next 12 months.
The corporate is predicted to expand its international reach to markets in Asia and Europe soon after, according to Bloomberg News.
Apple engineers are reportedly working on “localizing” the device for specific markets reminiscent of France, Germany, Australia, China and Hong Kong, Bloomberg News told Bloomberg News.
![Apple was forced to lower Vision Pro sales forecasts due to reported snafus in production.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000012282635.jpg?w=1024)
Last week, reports the Financial Times that Apple was forced to make “drastic cuts” to the device’s production targets as its manufacturing partners struggled with its complicated design.
Apple, which spent seven years creating the Vision Pro, initially hoped to ship a million headsets from factories to store shelves over the course of 2024.
But Luxshare, the Chinese manufacturer contracted to help Apple construct the headset, is gearing up to produce fewer than 400,000 units in 2024, according to the FT.
As reported by the FT, two other Chinese firms that offer certain components of the device were instructed by Apple to prepare for between 130,000 and 150,000 units in the first 12 months.
![Apple, led by CEO Tim Cook, recently surpassed $3 trillion in market capitalization.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012247171-1.jpg?w=1024)
Apple is claimed to have been forced to revise its forecasts downwards due to disappointment in the production of the headset’s OLED displays.
Production troubles also forced Apple to delay work on a less expensive version of the headset.
Apple shares are up 0.33% as of 1:08 p.m. ET on Friday.
The Vision Pro will probably be in direct competition with Meta’s cheaper headsets when it releases next 12 months.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has invested billions in steering his company towards the Metaverse, mocked his Silicon Valley rival by saying the recent gadget is just for people “sitting on the couch alone.”