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Vision Pro fans will need an appointment if they want to buy Apple's $3,500 headset from a store, report says

Apple Vision Pro being demoed at an Apple Store.
The Vision Pro is Apple's first major product release in eight years. Apple
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Apple fans hoping to get their hands on the Vision Pro will need to book an appointment to buy the headset in-store.

Apple is planning a retail launch for the product in some US markets next year, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the decision. The company will set up purchase appointments in-store to ensure the headset fits its owner properly, the report said.

The Vision Pro will be rolled out next year, with stores in New York and Los Angeles among the first to stock the device, per Bloomberg. It will also be available online from early 2024, according to the report.

Representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Apple's Vision Pro is the company's first major product release in eight years. The headset has been many years in the making and as Insider previously reported, there have been setbacks and compromises with its design.

Apple has reportedly been forced to limit production forecasts after suffering a series of supply-chain difficulties, the FT reported, citing multiple people with knowledge of the manufacturing process.

The company had plans to ship 1 million units next year but the production issues mean it might produce half as much, according to the FT report.

Apple has also faced backlash about the price of the mixed-reality headset. The tech giant's announcement of the headset at its Worldwide Developer Conference was met with audience groans, sighs, and laughter when the price was revealed, Insider's Pete Syme reported. Elon Musk has also taken a swipe at the product's high price.

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Beatrice Nolan was a tech reporter on the business news team in the UK. She joined Insider in January 2022 as a fellow on Business Insider's careers desk. Beatrice covered tech and the future of work, with a focus on artificial intelligence. Some of her stories and early experiments with ChatGPT are widely cited. Beatrice has also discussed her work covering AI trends on panels and radio shows, including NPR.She was based in Business Insider's London office and graduated from the University of  York with a bachelor's degree in English.Featured Articles:Artists say AI image generators are copying their style to make thousands of new images — and it's completely out of their control.ChatGPT was a black swan eventFinland is the world's happiest country, but Finns say we're confusing happiness for something elseThe world is splitting between those who use ChatGPT to get better, smarter, richer — and everyone elseThis man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend. He wasn't prepared for the backlash.ChatGPT has only been around for 2 months and is causing untold chaosTwo professors who say they caught students cheating on essays with ChatGPT explain why AI plagiarism can be hard to proveChatGPT wrote college application essays. Admissions professionals said they passed for essays written by students but wouldn't have a chance at any top colleges.College professors are considering creative ways to stop students from using AI to cheatChatGPT wrote my cover letters. Here's how recruiters responded.