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Apple announced on Tuesday that it will launch its flagship virtual reality headset Apple Vision Pro on June 28 in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Asian markets are the gadget's debut outside the US, with pre-orders starting on Friday. The VR headset first became available for purchase in the US four months ago with a starting price of $3,499. The Vision Pro will be sold at a premium in China, one of Apple's most important markets, with a base price of 29,999 yuan ($4,190). In the country, Apple will need to contend with strict government regulation of content. Popular apps in the US like Disney on Vision Pro and Amazon
Prime Video is not available in China. Instead, local Chinese developers and online companies will launch new apps and games for the Apple Vision Pro, the US tech giant said on Tuesday. These include Chinese tech giant Tencent, which will offer its video streaming app Tencent
Video and Byte Dance will launch a VR version of Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Apple will also need to compete with local rivals working on VR technologies, such as Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Oppo.
But there are already some signs that there is a strong demand for the Vision Pro in China, and a gray market for headphones is emerging. Xianyu, an online flea market app owned by Alibaba, sells the Vision Pro for up to double its official price, according to a CNBC search. "Enthusiasm for Apple Vision Pro has been extraordinary, and we're excited to bring the magic of spatial computing to more customers around the world," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement Tuesday.
However, the company's announcement comes amid reports that demand for Vision Pro is slowing in the United States. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities reported in April that Apple has reduced production of the Vision Pro due to low demand. "Vision Pro's move to international markets beat industry expectations and appears to be an attempt to boost sales amid lower-than-expected demand due to its niche use and high price tag," said Le Xuan Chew, an analyst at Canalys. on researching Apple's strategy.
Apple announced that the Vision Pro will also open for pre-order in Germany, France, Australia, the UK and Canada on June 28th, with the headset available on July 12th. Tuesday also saw the announcement of the latest iteration of Apple's operating system for its Vision Pro 2. The update includes new features and AI integration, and the headset is now compatible with 2,000 apps.
