Apple Will Slow-Launch Vision Pro In Stores By Requiring All Purchases To Be By Appointment

It’ll be the opposite of the chaos that Meta is enduring this week with Threads when Apple goes to roll out its new AR/VR headset, called the Apple Vision Pro.

The $3,500 headset will be hitting the market slowly in a move that will echo the first iPhone rollout, where ample time was given per customer to familiarize themselves with the product and answer any and all questions about the nascent voyage of the new device. 

The launch will be highlighted by “appointments and in-store promotions” in select markets to begin, Bloomberg reported this week. Special service areas and seating areas will be set aside in stores for the launch, which will eventually take place in all 270 Apple stores in the U.S. prior to the product’s international launch. 

The Vision Pro will also be sold online and will make its way to countries like France, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea by the end of 2024. 

Bloomberg refers to the launch as Apple’s most important new product since the Apple Watch, but we believe the Vision Pro could eventually become as impactful as iPhone for the tech giant. The slow rollout could wind up being the best tactical decision given the new nature of the product class and the $3,500 price tag that incited some moaning and complaining on the day of the the product’s launch.

As is generally the case with Apple, however, if the product is worth the price tag – or consumers believe they are going to be the first to own a new class of “tech luxury” – the Vision Pro could sell well despite its price tag. It’ll also mark the first new metric for Wall Street to watch out of Apple in years. 

Apple is going to be asking all consumers who want to purchase the product to make an in-store appointment, the report says. Apple used the same strategy during the launch of its Watch. The report notes that setup of the product is going to include an iPhone app that scans a person’s head in order to find the best light seal for use of the Vision Pro.

The company is also taking the final year before launch to solidify last minute adjustments. For example, Bloomberg writes:

“During testing of the device, Apple determined that some people with smaller body sizes and heads would have difficulty wearing the headset for half an hour or more, the company let media members test it following the launch of the Vision Pro. . Apple has recently tried to address that problem with the development of a second strap that sits on top of the user’s head. The design of that accessory is not finalised”

Then there is the task where users who wear glasses need prescriptions for the Vision Pro. Bloomberg reports that “Apple Stores will need to keep hundreds or even thousands of lenses in stock” for the device.