Apple Vision Pro release date: Headset to be launched worldwide as new software revealed

UK and seven other countries will be able to buy premium ‘spatial computer’

(Getty Images)

Apple will finally bring its Vision Pro headset to more of the world.

The company made the announcement as it revealed the first major software update for VisionOS, the operating system that powers the headset.

:: Follow all the latest from Apple’s WWDC event

The updates come a year after Apple released the headset during its Worldwide Developers Conference event, last year. It was first released in the US in February.

Now it will come to eight more countries, Apple said. It will priced at £3,499 in the UK, the same as it is in dollars in the US.

That international rollout will start in China, Japan and Singapore on 28 June. It will then come to Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK on 12 July.

Vision Pro is a wearable computer centred around a headset that overlays apps and software over the real world, in front of the wearer’s eyes, and is controlled by a user’s eyes, hands and voice.

The headset features built-in speakers and attaches using an adjustable headband, while a wire leads from the device to a battery pack which sits in the user’s pocket, enabling users to move around while wearing it.

Apple says it is designed to offer more immersive experiences in entertainment and gaming, as well as a new platform from which users can work and interact with others.

“The enthusiasm for Apple Vision Pro has been extraordinary, and we are thrilled to introduce the magic of spatial computing to more customers around the world,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said.

“We can’t wait for more people to see the impossible become possible, whether working and collaborating with an infinite canvas for apps, reliving treasured memories in three dimensions, watching TV shows and movies in a one-of-a-kind personal cinema, or enjoying brand-new spatial experiences that defy imagination.”

Since launching in the US in February, Apple says more than 2,000 apps have launched for the Vision Pro, while 1.5 million iPhone and iPad apps are also compatible with the headset.

Additional reporting by agencies