You probably won’t be able to buy a Vision Pro even if you want one

Apple’s “era of spatial computing” opens up to the general public on January 19, when Vision Pro pre-orders start, with its arrival in retail stores on February 2. But the future of the platform depends on its ability to gain momentum, according to a report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Addressing Apple investors, Kuo said that the “demand from Apple’s core fans and heavy users” should result in the Vision Pro selling out, which will cause longer ship times. Kuo also states that since the Vision Pro’s specs and software are “well above the industry average…users are sure to be impressed.” That should help create buzz for the product.

However, Kuo warns that if the Vision Pro isn’t a hot seller, investors can expect to see Apple’s short-term stock price be affected. If demand starts to wane “after the novelty wears off,” then Apple may need to adjust how the Vision Pro is positioned in the market. Ku also states that one of the keys to Vision Pro’s success is if Apple can do better at providing “important information about the product’s positioning and key applications.”

Many users intrigued by Apple’s foray into spatial computing may be looking past the Vision Pro and towards Apple’s more affordable headset that the company alluded to at WWDC last year or even a second-gen Vision Pro. But Kuo believes Apple’s release schedule isn’t set and that the success of this Vision Pro launch will influence when those products come to market. That sounds like if Vision Pro is selling like gangbusters, then Apple will attempt to ship a new model sooner rather than later. But if not, those products could be pushed out to later dates.

Apple starts taking pre-orders of the Vision Pro on January 19 at 5 a.m. PT in the U.S. only. Apple has not explained what a preorder involves, and if a visit to the Apple Store on February 2 is required to perform a fitting. The starting price is $3,499 for a Vision Pro with 256GB of storage. Reader optical inserts are $99, and prescription optical inserts are $149.