After months of waiting, the Vision Pro is upon us. Apple’s mixed-reality headset — or “spatial computer” as the company calls it — went on sale on February 2, after preorders opened on Apple’s website on January 19.
Contents
- Order your device online
- Buy in-store
- Try before you buy
If you want to be one of the first people to try the Vision Pro, there are a few things you’ll be able to do once things kick off. In this guide, we’ve laid out exactly what you need to do to try out a Vision Pro and what you can expect to happen when you do.
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Order your device online
The Apple Vision Pro’s EyeSight feature shows your eyes on a front display. Apple
There are two ways to get a Vision Pro: order online or go to an Apple Store. If you opt for the online route, you’ll find it’s very straightforward and only takes a few minutes to complete.
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When you first land on Apple’s Vision Pro page, you’ll need to select the blue Get started button on the right-hand side. You’ll then need to scan a QR code with an iPhone or iPad, which must have Face ID.
That’s because once you’ve scanned the code on your device, you’ll be taken to a page where you can start scanning your face to ensure you get the correct Vision Pro fit. On the scanning page, you’ll need to look left, right, up, and down – you’ll see a green marker to indicate your device has successfully scanned each side of your head. After the first scan is done, you’ll need to do a second one to confirm everything.
Next, select Done and go back to the Apple website. Select the blue Continue button, after which you’ll see Scan complete on the screen. Now scroll down to where the text reads, “Let’s get a sense of your vision to see whether or not you need optical inserts,” and select Get started.
Alex Blake / Digital Trends
This is where you’ll choose whether to include any lens inserts in place of your glasses. Apple will ask you if you wear glasses, if you wear contacts, and if you’ve ever had surgery that resulted in monovision. Depending on how you answer the questions, you might be recommended lens inserts.
Scroll down again to pick your storage. You can choose a Vision Pro with 256GB of storage for $3,499, 512GB for $3,699, or 1TB for $3,899.
You’re now on the home stretch. You can decide to pay the final bill outright or in 12 monthly installments (these are interest-free), and you can add AppleCare+ if you like. It costs $499 for two years of coverage or you can pay $25 a month indefinitely until you decide to cancel.
And that’s it. Now, you need to add the product to your bag, enter your shipping details, and pull the trigger. If you opt to pick up your Vision Pro at an Apple Store, you can check your fit and measurements are correct with a staff member to avoid any mistakes.
Buy in-store
Apple
If you’d rather order a Vision Pro in an Apple Store and get help and assistance from Apple employees, you can do that, too. This method lets you buy a headset and take it home or simply try it on and walk away without paying anything.
In-person demonstrations of the headset opened up from February 2 onwards. You can book a place at an Apple Store and try on a Vision Pro without ordering one first. Apple hasn’t provided much information on what will be included when you go to an Apple Store for a Vision Pro demonstration, but we can infer a few things. There have also been several leaks that have shed more light on the process.
Apple has never released a product like the Vision Pro, and the chances are most people have never tried on any of the best VR headsets. With that in mind, Apple will want to show customers exactly what the Vision Pro is capable of to convince them to part with its sizeable $3,499 asking price.
We’d therefore expect demonstrations showing users how to watch videos (including spatial videos), play games, use apps and the visionOS operating system, conduct a video call, and more. Apple says it has made navigating visionOS as intuitive as possible, but it will still require explaining, given how different it is from what most people are used to.
Apple
In terms of the physical device itself, you’ll need to find out what size and fit of headband works best for you, and that’s something that Apple’s staff will likely help you with. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has also explained that Apple will scan your face to ensure the light seal fits correctly and does not let any light in while you’re wearing the Vision Pro.
In addition, Apple is including the option to buy Zeiss lenses that magnetically attach to the Vision Pro. These are aimed at glasses wearers (since regular glasses will not be compatible with the headset). The lenses come with prescription and non-prescription options, and presumably, Apple will need to help customers choose the right lenses during the demonstration process.
Gurman has added that select Apple Store staff have recently been trained on how to help customers with the headset and how to answer any questions users might have and that those employees will then train their in-store colleagues. That suggests that you will be able to ask any Apple Store worker for help with your Vision Pro questions rather than having to reserve those questions for a booked product demonstration.
Try before you buy
Apple
Since the Vision Pro is the first headset of its kind that Apple has ever made, there’s a lot for potential customers to get to grips with. From working your way around the operating system to playing games and watching movies, it makes sense to get an in-store demonstration before buying.
We wouldn’t recommend blindly buying one from Apple’s website until you’ve had a chance to test the headset out, especially since it will cost at least $3,499 (with larger storage options costing more). That’s a lot to spend on a device, so you want to make sure you know how it works and are happy to get one before parting with your cash.
