In brief: Apple's Vision Pro headset seems to have divided opinion between those who love it and those who think it's a waste of $3,500. One major problem with the device for anyone living outside of the US is that Apple still isn't selling it overseas, but CEO Tim Cook has just confirmed that the Vision Pro will be coming to China this year, suggesting a wider global release will happen in 2024.
Cook is currently in China at a time when the once-strong link between Apple and the country is under strain.
The Apple boss has been touring a new Apple store in Shanghai and attending the China Development Forum in Beijing. It was at the latter event where he was asked if the Vision Pro would launch in China this year. One of CCTV's accounts on social media site Weibo show Cook answering "yes" to the question.
China isn't the only country outside the US that will see a Vision Pro release in 2024. MacRumors recently spotted job listings for so-called "Briefing Experience Specialists" in Australia and Japan (and China). The sales position involves demonstrating the Vision Pro's capabilities to business and enterprise customers. Apple posted the same listing in the UK last year, though the headset still isn't available in the United Kingdom.
Apple does say on its website that the Vision Pro will launch internationally this year. There are no mentions of dates and which locations will get the headset initially, making Cook's statement that it'll land in China the first official confirmation of a specific country.
Apple's relationship with China isn't what it used to be. iPhone sales in the Asian nation were down 24% during the first six weeks of 2024 as local giant Huawei made massive gains. China has also banned iPhones from more government offices and sensitive departments, and there were reports of iPhone 15 sales in China not living up to those of the iPhone 14.
Despite the strain, Cook emphasized that Apple's commitment to China, a relationship he once called "symbiotic," remains strong. "I am very confident in it (China)," Cook said. "I love China, I love being here, I love the people and the culture. Every time I come here, I am reminded that anything is possible here."