If you order an Apple Vision Pro, Apple may encourage you to pick the unit up at your local Apple Store.
Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, as of October, Apple was apparently in the process of inviting retail store employees from each Apple Store in the United States to Cupertino, California to receive training on using and selling the Vision Pro headset. Apple is reported to have sent a memo to retail employees asking them to apply for the “secretive” event, with acceptance dependent on an application and interview process.
An extract from the memo read:
Selected team members will travel and participate in an event in Cupertino, California, at some point in the first months of 2024. Upon returning to their home store, they’ll deliver training and ongoing support to store team members. This is a group opportunity for those who have a deep passion for demonstrating Apple products and teaching others.
Gurman also stated that these seminars are currently being scheduled with staff training set to begin in mid-January. Each Apple Store employee in attendance will receive two days of training, featuring instructions on the Vision Pro’s setup process, approaching a customer, and placing the device on a user’s head. Flagship retail stores are also rumored to gain dedicated Vision Pro hands-on areas, while other stores will only receive one or two units.
Apple is said to be planning to assemble customers’ Vision Pro headsets in the future and will help users choose the appropriate headband, light seal, and optional prescription lenses. Retail stores are purportedly due to receive new equipment to assemble and package the headset shortly.
Gurman has stated that the device will likely be released before March, or at least within a launch window of “early” 2024.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.