Apple's Vision Pro retail plan will be a velvet-rope experience

If you're looking to buy the Vision Pro as soon as possible, you'll have to make an appointment at an Apple store in a major U.S. city.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's retail launch of the Vision Pro, expected in early 2024, will be slow and deliberate, "underscoring the niche and complex nature of the mixed-reality device." Initially, the rollout will be appointment-only and in select Apple stores in areas like New York City and Los Angeles. Eventually, Vision Pro will be sold nationwide, and then globally by the end of the year. The Vision Pro will also be sold online in early 2024.

In addition to the XR headset being an entirely new experience for Apple users, the Vision Pro comes with logistical challenges including fit, comfortably wearing the headset for long periods of time, and storing the external battery pack.

Apple stores will have a designated seating area to demo the devices, Gurman said. Apple is also reportedly working on an iPhone app to scan a user's head to determine the right head band size an ensure there are no light leaks. Apple sales people will be trained to assist with demos, fitting, and teaching people how to use the Vision Pro. The company is reportedly developing a second strap that goes over the top of the user's head to offset the weight of the device, and even exploring a shoulder strap accessory to hold the battery pack as an alternative to carrying it in one's pocket.

Even with everything comfortably strapped and fitted to your body, there's still the $3,500 price tag to contend with. When the Vision Pro was announced at WWDC 2023 in early June, the big question was whether customers would actually shell out that much money for a device that has yet to prove it's more than just a fancy toy for a niche demographic. That said, a cheaper XR headset is reportedly in the pipeline, which as Mashable's Stan Schroeder points out, will be the one marketed to the masses.

In that sense, early, controlled adoption by Apple experts and devotees lines up perfectly with Apple's long term plans for an XR future.