Apple's Vision Pro to be available in the UAE in November

Mixed-reality headset, starting at Dh13,999, to be available nine months after it was first released

The Apple Vision Pro headset is controlled by the user’s eyes, hands and voice. AP

Apple's Vision Pro mixed-reality headset is scheduled to be on UAE shelves on November 15, nine months after it was released in the US, as the tech giant seeks to expand the reach of its spatial computing technology.

The much-hyped device, which is the California company's first major hardware release since the Apple Watch in 2015, will start from Dh13,999 in the Emirates, Apple said on Thursday. It will begin accepting orders on November 4.

It means the UAE will become one of the few markets where the Vision Pro is available. Outside the US, only a select set of markets in Europe and Asia have the device officially on Apple's retail channels.

Apple said that interest in spatial computing is rising, “with more than half of the Fortune 100 companies having purchased Apple Vision Pro to develop innovative solutions”.

Reviews for the Vision Pro have been largely positive, mainly for its build quality, software and intuitiveness, despite its price tag.

Apple unveiled the Vision Pro at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference, with chief executive Tim Cook touting it as a new era of spatial computing.

Spatial computing involves the digitisation of interactions between machines, people, objects and their surrounding environments, enabling and enhancing actions and engagements.

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The device is controlled by the user’s eyes, hands and voice, and is intended to blend digital content with the physical world while using spatial experiences in the visionOS platform.

Apple said that Vision Pro is “unlocking new opportunities for healthcare professionals and medical institutions in areas such as clinical education, surgical planning, medical imaging and behavioural health”.

The global mixed reality market is projected to be worth $158 billion by 2033, up from an estimated $4 billion in 2023 and growing at a compound annual rate of nearly 45 per cent, according to data from research firm Spherical Insights.

The announcement of the Vision Pro's availability in the UAE caps off a busy few months for the world's most valuable company.

Apple introduced the iPhone 16 line-up in September, alongside refreshed AirPods and Apple Watches. This week, it announced a flurry of Mac computers, including updates to the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro, all of which now run on the company's latest M4 chip.

An overarching theme for the company's new devices is Apple Intelligence, its much-anticipated generative AI platform. Apple started making the service available to its devices this week, albeit initially with limited features, with a second wave slated for December.