It's not often that Apple comes out with a completely new piece of hardware. The likes of the iPhone, Airpods and iPad are all cutting-edge tech, but they have each had multiple generations, the Apple Vision Pro however is a massive departure for the company.
The upcoming mixed reality headset looks like a genuine game changer for the way we live and work (if you can afford the $3499 price tag), but it may not be upcoming for that much longer. That's because according to the latest rumours it could be launching as soon as this month, January 2024.
That's a viewpoint shared by renowned Apple Insider Mark Gurman who tweeted to offer an even more specific prediction. According to Gurman, the magic day is the 26th of January, at least that's what he's hearing "among people in China who claim to be connected to Apple."
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
What a way to start the year that would be. In fairness, it looks like Apple has laid the groundwork for the launch already. It has already updated the iPhone 15 Pro Max to be able to capture spatial video that is only viewable on the headset and has reportedly created plans to train staff to help fit the headset correctly for customers in-store.
What separates the Vision Pro from the likes of the PSVR2 and Meta Quest 3 is that instead of going all in on gaming, this is more of a spatial computer designed for work and play. It also has a much more lightweight design, resembling ski goggles more than a headset. Tim Cook himself has described it as a "new era of computing" which sounds like a big deal.
Of course, those who do pick up the headset when it launches will have to stay pretty close to a charger. The Vision Pro will come with an external battery pack that lasts for around two hours. Not particularly long at all, but you can always use it plugged in too.
