Apple's Vision Pro headset will be released in China as early as April and "no later than May," according to supply chain sources quoted by Asia's Wall Street News (via IT Home).
According to the report, the registration process for the device at China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is nearing completion, which will pave the way for the Vision Pro's launch in the country, although unit availability is initially expected to be tight.
Officially, Apple has said that following its recent U.S. launch on February 2, Apple Vision Pro will be coming to more countries later in the year, though the company has so far stopped short of saying which countries and when exactly.
According to insider sources at Apple cited by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the launch of Vision Pro in other countries around the world will not "actually be that much later" than its release in the United States.
Apple is discussing the United Kingdom and Canada as two of the first international markets to get the mixed reality headset this year, according to Gurman.
Soon after, Apple is said to be looking at bringing the Vision Pro to the rest of Europe as well as Asia, with Apple engineers working to localize the device for France, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will likely launch its Vision Pro headset outside the United States before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024. Kuo bases his prediction on information that suggests Apple plans to share new details about visionOS – the device's operating system – with developers around the globe at its upcoming developers conference.
China-based companies account for over 60% of Apple's Vision Pro supply chain, according to DigiTimes. Luxshare is said to be the exclusive assembler of the Vision Pro, with Chinese lens manufacturer Lens Technology being the exclusive supplier of the headset's laminated front glass. Batteries, speakers, and sensor modules are also all sourced from China.
Significantly, Apple may be forced to change the name of its new mixed reality headset in China unless it can come to an agreement with Huawei, which already owns the "Vision Pro" trademark in the country. The trademark was originally granted to Huawei on May 16, 2019, and gives the company exclusive rights to its use in China from November 28, 2021 to November 27, 2031.
Huawei actively uses the trademark in China, and offers a number of products under the Vision name, including smart TVs and smart glasses. If Apple intends to sell its headset in China and call it Vision Pro, it may have to enter into negotiations with Huawei to release the trademark for a price.
