Apple’s Vision Pro headset sets launch in China, where it faces ByteDance, Huawei

Pre-orders for mixed-reality headset start on Friday and shipments later this month, but US$4,100 price tag is even steeper than in the US

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A customer uses Apple’s Vision Pro headset at its Fifth Avenue store in New York on February 2, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:30pm, 11 Jun 2024Updated: 2:37pm, 11 Jun 2024

Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality (XR) headset will be available for pre-order in China starting on Friday, four months after the gadget went on sale in the US.

Each customer is limited to purchasing two headsets and shipments start on June 28, according to Apple’s website. At a price of 29,999 yuan (US$4,138), it costs over US$600 more than the US$3,499 base price in the US, which does not account for tax, for the 256-gigabyte model.

The starting price in Hong Kong, where pre-orders start on the same day as on the mainland, is HK$27,999 (US$3,862).

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The world’s second most valuable company has partnered with Chinese entertainment firms to navigate the country’s highly regulated online content market. Apple has said that Tencent Holdings’ popular Netflix-like streaming service Tencent Video will be available on the Vision Pro.

Other Chinese tech giants have also rolled out Vision Pro apps. In February, Alibaba Group Holding launched Vision Pro versions of its office tool DingTalk and e-commerce marketplace Taobao. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

There had previously been some question of whether Apple would be able to use its chosen brand name for the headset in China. Huawei Technologies has exclusive rights to the “Vision Pro” trademark in a number of contexts, including virtual reality (VR), through 2031. However, Apple’s application for the “Apple Vision Pro” trademark, accompanied by the company’s logo, was approved in March, according to corporate records provider Qichacha.

Some China-based Apple enthusiasts have been playing with the gadget for months via grey market rentals. People who had purchased the pricey headset in the US started leasing it to users in several major cities. Beijing-based start-up Vision Space opened multiple bricks-and-mortar locations where people can try it out for 98 yuan per hour.