Apple's 'early 2024' Vision Pro launch could be weeks away as post-iPhone era nears

(Image credit: Future)

Apple's Vision Pro headset is a landmark product for the Cupertino company, hailing an all-new direction and ringing in the post-iPhone generation. When it was announced and unveiled during Apple's WWDC in June 2023, it also came with a loose "early 2024" release date in tow — and there's growing evidence to suggest that we may see the mixed reality headset hit store shelves before the month is through.

Mark your calendars

According to Chinese investor site, Wall Street Insights, the Vision Pro could be launching as soon as January 27 in the U.S. with other countries to follow. With this date landing on a Saturday, the claim was initially met with skepticism — until Bloomberg's resident Apple scribe Mark Gurman chimed in on X, that is.

The original iPad was released on a Saturday. Jan 26 is indeed the date floating around the last few days among people in China who claim to be connected to Apple. Like I said, units will be ready by end of January with a retail launch by February. It’s imminent.January 2, 2024

Here, Gurman reminded folk that the original iPad was also released on a Saturday and also confirmed that January 26/27th is a date currently drawing attention by those reportedly in the know in China. Gurman went on to indicate that the Vision Pro launch is "imminent," with units "ready by the end of January" and a "retail launch by February."

This also lines up with word from reputable Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who in December claimed that Apple's upcoming headset is gearing up for a release for the "end of January or early February."

Outlook

Often criticized for pulling up to the party fashionably late, the Vision Pro sees Apple throwing caution to the wind and diving in headfirst to the VR/AR market ahead of rivals Samsung — whose own headset plans still seem far on the horizon.

While brands like Meta, HTC, and Pico have been making VR headsets for years now, the tech has often fallen just short of breaking into the mainstream. This makes Apple's ultra-premium, $3,500 mixed-reality headset offering a considerable gamble, with Apple potentially poised to make or break the VR scene based on the success or failure of its mixed-reality headset.

So, naturally, eyes are peeled for the launch of Apple's Vision Pro — and, with this news in mind, they may not have much longer to wait to find out.

Rael Hornby, potentially influenced by far too many LucasArts titles at an early age, once thought he’d grow up to be a mighty pirate. However, after several interventions with close friends and family members, you’re now much more likely to see his name attached to the bylines of tech articles. While not maintaining a double life as an aspiring writer by day and indie game dev by night, you’ll find him sat in a corner somewhere muttering to himself about microtransactions or hunting down promising indie games on Twitter.