Apple to Launch Vision Pro in Korea Next Month... Will It Overcome Poor Sales?

Scheduled for release after June's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)
Recent breakthrough for sluggish iPhone and Vision Pro sales
Apple's AI phone expected to be unveiled at WWDC

Apple is planning to launch its mixed reality (MR) headset, Vision Pro, in regions outside the United States next month, Bloomberg reported on the 13th (local time), citing sources.

According to sources familiar with the matter, "Apple is preparing to sell Vision Pro outside the U.S.," adding, "Last week, they called overseas store employees to the headquarters to start training them on how to demonstrate the product to customers." They also stated, "The overseas markets where Vision Pro will be launched include South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, Germany, France, Singapore, and others," and added, "The plan is to release it after Apple's annual event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held from the 10th to the 14th of next month."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

If Vision Pro is sold in overseas markets in June, it will be just four months after its initial launch. Apple first introduced Vision Pro in the U.S. in early February but did not disclose the launch schedule for other regions. However, CEO Tim Cook stated in an interview with state-run media CCTV during his visit to China in March that "there are plans to launch Vision Pro in China within this year."

This overseas launch of Vision Pro is expected to help boost Apple's revenue, which has recently been affected by sluggish iPhone sales. Due to weak sales in the Chinese market, Apple's revenue for the first quarter of this year ($90.75 billion) dropped 4% compared to the same period last year. In particular, iPhone sales, which account for half of the company's revenue, fell more than 10% year-over-year to $45.96 billion. Apple's ambitious Vision Pro also saw initial interest quickly fade due to its high price.

Market attention is focused on the Apple Developer Conference scheduled for next month. Following the earnings announcement earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We plan to announce some exciting things," hinting at the unveiling of Apple's AI phone. There have also been reports that Apple has entered discussions with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its voice assistant, Siri.

Meanwhile, on the New York Stock Exchange today, Apple's stock closed at $186.28, up 1.76% from the previous session.