Apple is reportedly starting Vision Pro training for retail workers as the launch of its product approaches and is estimated to be in early 2024.
The tech giant's latest product in virtual reality could come as soon as January but is rumored to be released to the public before March. The company has repeatedly said that its launch of the virtual reality headset will come "early" in 2024 but has not given out an exact date.
Apple's Vision Pro Release
It is now expected that the Vision Pro could be released in February rather than starting the year with a January shipment. In a newsletter on Sunday, Mark Gurman, an industry insider, discussed the retail efforts associated with the new product as well as the work that would go into selling the headsets to the public.
He said that the tech giant has been working internally to get the product out the door as early as January. However, Gurman said that he expects to see a release to "at least occur before March, barring any unforeseen snags," as per Yahoo Finance.
In November, Gurman wrote that shipments of Apple's Vision Pro were expected to be en route in March. He said that an initiative to bring select store employees to Apple Park for training will happen in the first month of next year. These employees will return home to then teach the rest of their respective stores.
The seminars are said to be scheduled to begin in the middle of January and each employee will get two days' worth of training. Apple is said to be keen on making sure that retail employees approach and work with customers in a "carefully orchestrated" way due to the complex setup process because of customization for each individual customer.
While consumers will be able to reserve their Vision Pro headsets online, it is said that they will be pushed towards picking up the products from retail. Apple Stores will supposedly receive equipment soon to assemble and box the headset on-site for the customer.
Training for Retail Workers
Despite Apple's training sessions for retail workers, buying a Vision Pro product will not be as straightforward as buying one from the company's online store or going to an outlet to get one. The appointment system that Apple uses for the new product is similar to when the Apple Watch was first released, according to WCCFTech.
The tech giant's Vision Pro headset has a starting price of $3,499 and was first unveiled in June this year. While the product has not yet been released, there are also rumors about a potential second generation of the virtual reality headset.
The Apple Vision Pro 2 is rumored to be relatively similar to the original model but there could be some changes to the speaker configuration. There could also be changes in the design of the top vents and it could have clusters of small holes that may replace the existing strips.
One of the main differences that the second generation product could have will be with the rear straps. The newer model is said to have straps that are simpler in design and somewhat reminiscent of the flat straps that are typically found on laptop bags or backpacks, said TechRader.
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