At $3,499, most Apple Inc. fans are unlikely to be lining up around the block to buy the company’s
new Vision Pro headset unveiled Monday. But they will certainly be lining up to try it, such is the buzz
already underway for what Apple hopes is a new computing platform.

Fortunately for the company, there’s no better place to sell such a device to a bewildered public than
in one of its glistening retail stores. More than 520 locations, from Sao Paolo to Shanghai, were “built
for moments like this,” as Apple executive Mike Rockwell put it in the headset’s launch video.
After a Covid-19 slump, foot traffic to Apple’s stores is on the up, increasing 13% on last year, according
to data from Gravy Analytics. With a further 53 new or revamped stores planned over the next few
years, according to Bloomberg News, Apple’s retail operation is an underestimated force in its efforts
to win at mixed reality.
Consider Apple’s position to that of its rivals. Realizing that slick marketing materials can only get you
so far, headset-makers over the past decade have gone to desperate lengths to get the technology onto
the heads of a skeptical public. That’s the real way to answer: What does it do? Why do I need one?
How does it feel?