Apple Vision Pro will launch in February — $3,499 for 256GB storage

vision pro wwdc 2023
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The release date for Apple's Vision Pro is finally in our sights. The company announced that the headset will launch on February 2 in the U.S., with pre-orders opening on January 19 at 5 a.m. PST / 8 a.m. EST.

Vision Pro, which Apple announced at WWDC in June, will start at $3,499 with 256GB of storage and presumably go up from there. Zeiss Optical reader inserts will cost $99, while prescription inserts will run for an additional $149.

The headset will be sold at Apple Stores across the U.S. and on its website. Previously, there had been rumors you would have to buy in-store, but those don't seem to have come to fruition.

While we've seen Apple use a single band that fits behind your head in images and videos, that will be just one option. "Apple Vision Pro comes with a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band — giving users two options for the fit that works best for them." That suggests the other band goes both over and behind the head, which some early preview users had discussed but hasn't been pictured.

The package also features a protective cover for the front of the headset, a light seal with two cushions, a polishing cloth, an external battery, a USB Type-C charging cable, and a power adapter.

Apple Vision Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple is using two chips to power the Vision Pro: its M2 processor for general computing and a new R1 chip that handles the data from a slew of sensors, microphones, and cameras. The two displays have a 4K micro-LED panel (one for each eye). Apple says its 23 million pixels are packed onto screens the "size of a postage stamp."

Apple has suggested that the Vision Pro could be used for general-purpose computing (including, in some instances, running a Mac screen on the Vision Pro) as well as for entertainment and gaming. It also showed plenty of apps like the ones you might see on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad and suggested developers can get their iOS and iPad OS apps running on visionOS without much optimization. That should, in theory, allow for plenty of apps out of the box when the headset launches. The Vision Pro has a Digital Crown, similar to the Apple Watch, that will let users move between AR and VR environments. We've also heard about iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max users being able to record 3D "spatial" videos and photos. I'm curious to try that with my own phone. 

This is Apple's biggest new product category in years. It's expensive and unlikely to be a volume seller at first. But come February, we'll get a better look at Apple's plan for the future.

Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and Mastodon @FreedmanAE.mastodon.social.

  • bigdragon
    The price tag tells me the Vision Pro is aimed at influencers and content creators. I still can't tell what this headset does better than Quest or Vive headsets.

    I also think it's rather strange for a company to be launching a new flagship VR product. The metaverse thing seems to have died down as every business moves onto the AI craze. Maybe Apple will populate their own metaverse via AI.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    bigdragon said:
    The price tag tells me the Vision Pro is aimed at influencers and content creators. I still can't tell what this headset does better than Quest or Vive headsets.

    I also think it's rather strange for a company to be launching a new flagship VR product. The metaverse thing seems to have died down as every business moves onto the AI craze. Maybe Apple will populate their own metaverse via AI.
    Ironically enough: because the market is moving onto AI it makes way more sense for AR devices like these to be invested into. Or that's what I think at a high level.

    I'd love for AR devices to, one day, be able to translate BSL (sign language) or any other things in real time and such via gestures.

    Not sure about XR, but at least AR is definitely something worth investing in becase of the "easy" (let me go with this XD) integration into the AI world.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • Giroro
    I look forward to laughing at this absurd product in a few years, when I see one in-person for the first time.
    Reply