Apple to begin taking pre-orders for Vision Pro virtual reality headsets

Apple's Vision Pro headsets, first announced last June, will be available in the U.S. early next month, the company said Monday. 

Customers can pre-order the headsets beginning Friday, January 19, for pick delivery or pick up on February 2. 

The virtual reality goggles, which retail for $3,499, will be available at all Apple stores in the U.S. and online. 

Apple describes the headsets as a device that "seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world and unlocks powerful spatial experiences in visionOS, controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — a user's eyes, hands and voice."

In a statement Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device's interface will "redefine how we connect, create and explore."

The "visionOS" operating system that powers the headset experience lets wearers interact with apps just by subtly looking at them through lenses, as opposed to tapping an icon on a screen in order to engage with an app. 

A flick of the wrist cues the device to scroll, according to Apple. 

Apple has billed them as the world's first spatial computers.

"Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing," Apple CEO Tim Cook said when he unveiled the VR device last June at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference.

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Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News streaming to discuss her reporting.