Apple to open retail locations early launch of Apple Vision Pro

Apple has announced that it will open its brick-and-mortar Apple Store locations early on February 2 for Apple Vision Pro demos — but there may be lines given that the demos are first-come first-served.

In an email sent on Monday, Apple announced that it will open its Apple Stores early to give customers a first look at the Apple Vision Pro. The demos will occur on Friday, February 2, at 8:00 a.m. and continue through Sunday, February 4.

Apple notes that demo times are exclusively on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Apple Vision Pro is the iPhone maker's first proper foray into creating a headset. Effectively a very high-specification VR headset, it uses an array of external sensors and 23 million pixels across its two displays to offer a high-quality mixed-reality experience.

The Vision Pro will be available to preorder online on January 19, with units shipping out and available to purchase in select stores on February 2. The Apple Vision Pro price starts at $3,499 before adding accessories.

The initial rumors suggested that an in-store fitting was going to be mandatory for purchase. While Apple hasn't explicitly said that it isn't required yet, the "first-come first-served" nature of the demo environment suggests that the rumor mill was wrong about that detail.