Apple CEO Says Vision Pro Coming to China This Year

Apple’s Vision Pro headset is reportedly coming to the Chinese market later this year.

CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the mixed reality device will launch in China this year during an interview with state media, CNBC reported Monday (March 25).

Cook has been in China to launch the company’s latest Apple Store, but to also recommit to the country’s market amid declining iPhone sales.

“I am very confident in it (China),” Cook said during the interview. “I love China, I love being here, I love the people and the culture. Every time I come here, I am reminded that anything is possible here.”

Last month saw reports that resellers in China had begun promoting steep discounts on the newest model of the iPhone, which launched in September but hasn’t sold as well in China as past versions, due in part to an economic downturn and competition from Huawei.

“Apple is catching up with the ‘deflation’ trend in China, intending to boost the demand for iPhones,” IDC analyst Will Wong told Bloomberg News at the time.

“Based on IDC’s preliminary January data, the pressure was mainly coming from other Android vendors as we saw Apple decline by around 10% year-on-year in the month while Huawei grew triple-digits over the same period.”

Last week also saw reports that Apple was in early talks with Chinese tech giant Baidu on potential partnership to use that company’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology for Apple devices in China.

Apple launched the Vision Pro at the beginning of last month. Soon after, PYMNTS examined the device’s entry into the retail space. Research by PYMNTS Intelligence, as shown in the report “How We Will Pay Report: How Connected Devices Enable Multitasking Among Digital-First Consumers,” found that most consumers are open to shopping experiences that incorporate mixed-reality technology.

“The study found that among the 95% of consumers who own or have in their homes at least one connected device, many are open to new, more tech-integrated shopping experiences,” PYMNTS wrote.

For example, 38% of consumers reported being very or extremely interested in using virtual technology to see how items look in their room before buying them, and 6% are already doing this. In addition, 32% said they’d be interested in the ability to use VR technology to purchase retail products that are in a physical store from their home or office, while 4% already do this.