Apple’s Vision Pro launches in Hong Kong, drawing mainland buyers

Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset officially went on sale in Hong Kong on Friday, drawing local customers as well as those from mainland China and other regions, where the device is either more expensive or unavailable.

Buyers who pre-ordered the Vision Pro, which starts at HK$27,999 (US$3,585) in Hong Kong, can pick up the product in stores. Others can buy online or book a demo session and purchase from physical Apple Store locations across the city.

While new iPhones used to draw long queues when they hit the shelves in the city, the costly Vision Pro did not attract a major crowd on Friday morning. In the first hour after opening, the Apple Store on Canton Road in the tourist hub of Tsim Sha Tsui saw only a handful of customers who pre-booked demo sessions or placed pre-orders.

Apple declined to share the number of Vision Pro pre-orders in Hong Kong.

Shanghai-based blogger Jane and software developer Arwen, a married couple who only gave their first names, said they decided to buy the device in Hong Kong because it costs less compared to prices in mainland China, where the headset launched on the same day.

The 256-gigabyte basic model of the Vision Pro, which sells for US$3,499 in the US, costs 29,999 yuan (US$4,140) on the mainland, around US$555 more than in Hong Kong.

A customer from the Philippines said he came to the city to buy a Vision Pro because the device is not yet available in his home country.

The buyer said he wants to use the device for work, so he can have multiple apps shown together side by side, and for watching films, adding that he hopes video streaming app Netflix will eventually support Vision Pro.