First Apple Vision Pro Expansion to Likely Skip Canada: Report

Apple is set to expand the sale of its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset to international markets, testing the broader appeal of the $3,499 USD device, reports Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman.

Sources tell Gurman the company has started holding training sessions for employees from various international locations at its Cupertino, California headquarters. These sessions, lasting up to four days, began last week and involve hundreds of staff from Apple stores around the world.

The Vision Pro integrates virtual content with real-world views is the biggest Apple product in years, and also the most expensive. Apple has touted spatial computing but Vision Pro comes with an incredible price tag for a first-gen device, that initially launched in the U.S.

Sources indicate that Apple is preparing to launch the Vision Pro in markets including Germany, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and China following its Worldwide Developers Conference next month. You read that right, Canada is not listed in this first wave, according to Gurman.

But don’t lose hope yet, because in a follow up on X, Gurman said, “I can’t rule out the UK or Canada. I said including when I wrote my list,” referring to his previous report that said Canada could be one of the first expansion markets for Visions Pro.

Retail store training is basically mimicking what was used in the U.S. before the Vision Pro’s first wave launch, where customers are given a detailed hands-on walkthrough of the Vision Pro’s features.

Despite the initial enthusiasm, resales in markets like Hong Kong have seen the Vision Pro being offered below retail price due to declining demand, says Gurman.

Vision Pro pricing at $3,499 USD would translate roughly to $4,700 CAD, and after taxes depending on province and territory, would easily push the device beyond $5,000 CAD. That’s a tough sell when inflation is running rampant still in Canada (and beyond).