China to get Apple Vision Pro by May at latest

Apple Vision Pro was launched exclusively in the US, but right from the start there have been reports that it would spread internationally quite soon. As first spotted by IT Home, reports credited to Wall Street News say that the supply chain expects it could be released in China as early as April.

In translation, it specifically says "as early as April [but] no later than May." There is little further detail, but the supply chain also claims that "the registration process of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is nearing completion."

It's also expected that the supply of Apple Vision Pro in China "will be tight."

As well as issues over building up manufacturing quantities, China potentially presents a further issue around the name Vision Pro. In June 2023, it was reported that China's Huawei had registered a trademark for the name "Vision Pro" four years before Apple's headset was announced.

This is far from the first time that there has been a conflict over a name Apple is using. Typically Apple tends to press on with the name it wants and reaching agreements with other firms, though there have been exceptions.

China is a major enough market that launching the Apple Vision Pro there quickly makes sense. However, China has also become problematic for Apple, as iPhone and overall sales have declined there.