The Apple Vision Pro headset is displayed at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City on February 2, 2024.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
Apple announced on Tuesday that its flagship virtual reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, will be available in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore on June 28.
The Asian market marks the gadget’s debut outside the US, with pre-orders opening on Friday.
The VR headset first went on sale in the US four months ago, with prices starting at $3,499. The Vision Pro will be available at the highest price in China, one of Apple’s most important markets, with a base price of 29,999 yuan ($4,190).
In China, Apple must overcome strict government restrictions on content: apps that are popular on the Vision Pro in the US, such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, are not available in China.
Instead, the American tech giant said on Tuesday that local Chinese developers and internet companies will be releasing new apps and games for Apple Vision Pro, including Chinese tech giant Tencent, with its video streaming app Tencent Video, and ByteDance, which is releasing a VR version of Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Apple also has to compete with local rivals, such as Chinese electronics maker Oppo, which is working on VR technology.
But there are already some signs of demand for the Vision Pro in China, where a grey market for the headset has sprung up: A CNBC search on Xianyu, an online flea market app owned by Alibaba, showed the Vision Pro being sold for double the official price.
“The enthusiasm for Apple Vision Pro has been incredible, and we’re thrilled to introduce the magic of spatial computing to more customers around the world,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement on Tuesday.
Still, the company’s announcement comes amid reports of declining demand for VisionPro in the United States.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities, reported in April that Apple had cut production of the Vision Pro due to weak demand.
“Vision Pro’s entry into international markets has exceeded industry expectations and appears to be an attempt to boost sales amid weaker-than-expected demand due to niche uses and high pricing,” said Le Xuan Qiu, an analyst at Canalys who specializes in researching Apple strategies.
Apple said the Vision Pro will also be available for pre-order in Germany, France, Australia, the UK and Canada on June 28, and the headsets will be available on July 12.
Also announced Tuesday was VisionOS 2, the latest version of Apple’s operating system for the Vision Pro. The update includes new features and AI integration, and the headset is now compatible with 2,000 apps.
