Apple plans to ship the $3,499+ Vision Pro on February 2 in the US, after opening pre-orders on January 19 at 8am ET, with a Solo Knit Band and a Dual Loop Band

It's finally time: Apple has announced it will start shipping its Vision Pro headset on February 2nd in the United States.

The Verge 2024-01-08 Emma Roth

Context & Ripple Effects

The announcement follows reports that Apple was ramping Vision Pro production for a late-January customer rollout and estimates of roughly 500,000 Vision Pro shipments in 2024. It converts that preparation into a defined US launch window.

The included bands establish the initial fit options at launch; Apple later expanded the hardware’s surrounding purchase path with separately sold Vision Pro accessories.

First-order effects

US buyers can place orders on January 19 for February 2 delivery, creating Apple’s first scheduled retail handoff for Vision Pro.
Apple begins selling the headset with both Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band options, making fit choice part of the out-of-box product configuration.

Second-order effects

The fixed launch date shifts Apple’s production ramp into fulfillment and retail execution, with early shipment volume providing the first practical check against the previously reported 2024 shipment estimate.
Accessory and fit-related purchases become an adjacent revenue opportunity as buyers configure a $3,499-plus device rather than buying a headset alone.

Third-order effects

If Apple sustains the rollout, Vision Pro will show whether a premium headset can support an Apple-style ecosystem of device-specific accessories and retail support before broader volume is available.
The launch is an early test of whether spatial-computing hardware can move from production planning to a repeatable consumer sales channel at the high end of the market.

The trend: Vision Pro is part of the broader push to establish spatial computing through premium, tightly integrated hardware-and-accessory ecosystems before pursuing mass-market scale.

Discussion

@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Apple Vision Pro is coming Question is going to be whether this will be an Apple Watch (unclear value proposition at first but becomes dominant by being the best all-in-one wrist device) or HomePod (expensive yet not meaningfully better than the existing products in the market)?
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
I haven't been more excited for a tech product in some time. More excited than I was for Apple Watch. My mind is still blown by several experiences from my demo.
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
So I am very excited. But this is shockingly anticlimactic. A press release with very few new details. One new image. No refreshed product page. Two weeks ahead of the pre-order. Odd for Apple in particular.
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
this is the only new image in the release right? crazy! [image]
@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
The era of spatial computing has arrived! Apple Vision Pro is available in the US on February 2. [image]
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
“Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band” is quite the branding for a head strap. https://www.apple.com/... [image]
@bzamayo Benjamin Mayo on x
It is pretty weird that nine months on, the Vision Pro launch announcement press release includes no new footage of the device in action. All the clips are what was shown at WWDC.
@bzamayo Benjamin Mayo on x
Good surprise: Top strap option included in the box. Bad surprise: 256 GB base storage.
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
Apple Vision Pro comes with a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band — giving users two options for the fit that works best for them. Apple Vision Pro also includes a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, an Apple Vision Pro Cover for the front of the device, Polishing Cloth, Battery,.…
@vnchocotaco @vnchocotaco on x
$3499 256GB Hey at least there is a power adapter- [image]
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
Apple Vision Pro will be available starting at $3,499 (U.S.) with 256GB of storage. Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro will begin on Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. PST, with availability beginning Friday, February 2.
@robertrosenfeld Robert Rosenfeld on x
ZEISS prescription lenses for Vision Pro are $150 [image]
@m1astra @m1astra on x
Apple has announced that Vision Pro pre orders will start Friday, January 19th with a release on February 2nd. Apple has also announced that ZEISS Optical Inserts will cost $99 for Readers, and $149 for Prescription inserts. Vision Pro will come with two different Head Bands, two…
@christianselig Christian Selig on x
Dang, Zeiss prescription lenses for the Vision Pro at only $150, that's a lot better than I ever thought it would be
@theasmartbear Jason Cohen on threads
Yeah, Apple is one of the few companies in a position to be able to arrive a few years “late” but not be late. It's still early in AI for everything, in fact. But even in competing against OpenAI and Microsoft, Apple is one of the few who can. There's a reason Google pays $18B…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
I'd expect a Vision Pro related announcement sometime this upcoming week. Start writing your “Apple Wins CES” headlines. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@mysk_co @mysk_co on x
An AI tool simulating the App Review process would be great.
@evleaks Evan Blass on x
A massive, unforeseen, Galaxy Fold-like defect so severe that it immediately washes away my jealousy of those nauseatingly-fortunate early buyers.
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
I'm excited for #CES2024 to see all the crazy announcements, and I'm also excited for whatever Apple is going to announce to try to upstage CES
@kylesamani @kylesamani on x
The biggest beneficiary of AI in the near-medium term (so, excluding AGI) in terms of market cap gain will be Apple Apple has been wanting to create a search engine to compete with Google for over a decade. You can see early glimpses of this with the broadening of spotlight...
@adeoressi Adeo Ressi on x
@Techmeme @markgurman Unless they somehow mastered the inevitable sickness that comes from VR / AR, this product will fail.

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