Each customer is limited to purchasing two headsets and shipments start on June 28, according to Apple’s website. At a price of 29,999 yuan (US$4,138), it costs over US$600 more than the US$3,499 base price in the US, which does not account for tax, for the 256-gigabyte model.
The starting price in Hong Kong, where pre-orders start on the same day as on the mainland, is HK$27,999 (US$3,862).
Analysts expected the Vision Pro to reignite a languid VR market that has yet to push its way into the mainstream. Global shipments of VR devices fell 23.5 per cent last year, but “2024 is shaping up to be a year of recovery as shipments are forecast to surge 44.2 per cent”, in part due to “new headsets such as Apple’s Vision Pro”, market researcher IDC said in an April report.
Meanwhile, Huawei is preparing to launch its own XR headsets later this year, according to Chinese tech blogs.