Apple won't send reviewers a Vision Pro without briefings, says Gurman

Apple Vision Pro

When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, it was in such a weak position that it probably sent review units to anyone who'd write about it. Now with Apple Vision Pro, everything has changed and Apple aims to do all it can to ensure it gets the best press coverage it can.

For consumers, that's meant presenting a video teaser that has more than a nod to the original iPhone ad. For the industry, it's meant announcing the Vision Pro's shipping date during CES.

Now according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is also controlling just how and when reviewers get to see and use the Vision Pro.

It's not unusual for Apple to give a hands-on briefing to journalists, though it is unusual for them to give each journalist two. But reportedly that is what will happen, with the initial meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, and the follow-up a week later.

Apple obviously can't control what any reviewer says about Vision Pro. But it can ensure that no one gives it a bad review just because they've put it on the wrong way, forgotten to plug in the battery, or that they've simply missed a key feature.

It's also likely that by having meetings before a reviewer gets a Vision Pro to try, that Apple can also make sure that the lenses are correct for each person. This is what stops Vision Pro being an entirely off-the-shelf purchase, the need to potentially have it adjusted with corrective or prescription lenses.