Apple set to sell Vision Pro headset outside US, Bloomberg News reports

By Reuters | Updated: May 14, 2024

May 13 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O) is gearing up to sell its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset outside the United States, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, in a bid to invigorate demand for its most expensive bet in years.

The iPhone-maker has flown hundreds of employees from its international stores to Cupertino, California and started training them on how to demonstrate the $3,499 headset to customers, the report added, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Apple plans to bring its Vision Pro to international markets after its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), scheduled to be held from June 10 to June 14, the report said.

The training of workers, which takes as many as four days, from Germany, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China, suggests these will be some of the first international markets for the device.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Vision Pro headset was unveiled in June last year and hit the shelves in the U.S. from Feb. 2. The headset’s launch in the international markets could help Apple attract customers at a time when sales of its most popular product iPhone are slowing.

After initial enthusiasm for the Vision Pro, which has a hefty price tag, the demand has been slowing, according to analysts.

In March, Apple CEO Tim Cook was quoted in China’s state-run CCTV Finance saying that Apple’s Vision Pro will hit the mainland China market this year and that the company will continue to ramp up research and development investment in China.

@ Thomson Reuters 2024