The launch of the Apple Vision Pro in the U.S. will probably be followed by a rollout to some other markets within months, Ming-Chi Kuo says, with the debuts potentially before WWDC 2024.
Apple Vision Pro at WWDC 2023
Apple is gearing up for the release of the Apple Vision Pro on Feburary 2, with the United States the only market it will go on sale within at launch. While there are plans to expand its availability to other countries, it may do so in a small number within months.
In a Tuesday Medium post, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo explains the possibility as being "beneficial for promoting the global development ecosystem of visionOS," if it were to do so before WWDC 2024.
With WWDC Apple's main avenue for communicating with developers on future plans, it would be natural for Apple to discuss visionOS development at the event.
Kuo goes on to say that Apple's lack of release in non-U.S. markets at first is down to a few reasons. For a start, the limited initial supply of headsets makes an international rollout troublesome for Apple, unlike its other mainstay product lines.
There's also Apple's need to make sure the sales process in the United States goes "smoothly" for consumers, since it will need to perfect the process before moving it into other markets. Currently, that process is said to involve a 25-minute in-store demonstration of the headset.
The Apple Vision Pro also has to be agreeable to regulations in other countries, with Kuo adding that it will need time to modify algorithms for compliance purposes.
"The sooner the above issues are resolved, the sooner Vision Pro will be available in more countries," Kuo concludes.