Apple Vision Pro to Launch in China by May, Could Feature Different Branding: Report

Apple Vision Pro launched last week with sales reportedly crossing 200,000 units before the mixed reality headset hit retail stores in the country. Apple’s first release in a new product category since it introduced the first Apple Watch nearly a decade ago is currently only available in the US, but the company plans to bring the Vision Pro to markets in China, Canada, and the UK next. That might be happening soon. A new report claims that the headset will arrive in the Chinese market in the coming months.

According to Chinese outlet IT Home, citing a report from Asian outlet Wall Street News, the Apple Vision Pro will make its China debut as early as April or the latest by May. The information comes from supply chain sources, who also reportedly said that the device’s registration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China was nearly complete. The sources also added the first batch of sales for headset in China would be “relatively tight.”

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, too, had reported last month that the Apple Vision Pro would hit the shelves in China, Canada and the UK following its US-only launch. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant reportedly expects to ship 5,00,000 Vision Pro units in 2024.

The China launch of the AR/VR headset, however, might not be free of a few complications. The IT Home report also claims that Chinese technology giant Huawei owns the ‘Vision Pro’ trademark in the country, which would mean that Apple might have to debut its headset there with a different name. Reports early into the development of the headset had said that Apple might call its device ‘Reality Pro.’ That branding could reportedly be used in China.

Notably, Huawei is also believed to be working on its own VR headset to compete with the Apple Vision Pro. The company’s product could launch in China later this year. Huawei has also been chewing into Apple’s market share in the smartphone segment in China, with the company’s phones becoming popular options as iPhone 15 suffers slowing demand.

While Apple is experiencing a slowdown in the Chinese market, the country remains a crucial production base for the iPhone maker. Apple Vision Pro headsets have been assembled by Chinese contract manufacturer Luxshare, with company reportedly heading the AR development team in Shanghai. Taiwanese firms Pegatron and Foxconn are also said to have aided in the project.