Apple Vision Pro launch will see chosen employees visit Cupertino for "secretive" training

You can have the perfect product that people want to buy, the best stores in the country that people like to use, and the most dedicated consumers around — but without prepared and knowledgeable retail staff, the launch of a new device is never going to go as smoothly as you’d hope. Apple knows this better than most, and in the run-up to its biggest launch in years, Apple Vision Pro, the company is getting its staff up to speed.

In his ‘Power on’ newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple “has sent a memo out to retail employees asking them to apply for a secretive “product training event” in Cupertino, California.”

Apple getting ready for launch

Apple will choose retail staff from those that apply, and then teach them all about the brand new AR headset before the launch. It looks like the training event will happen early in 2024, and it will prepare the staff to train their colleagues at their home store. The memo says “This is a group opportunity for those who have a deep passion for demonstrating Apple products and teaching others.”

Gurman continues that there will be a selection and interview process for the training, so it’s more than just a retail colleague’s name being pulled out of a hat. He goes on to say that this tells us little about the launch timing of the Vision Pro headset itself, with both sitting in what Apple calls ‘early 2024’.

Vision Pro training — iMore’s take

For those of us who have worked any kind of retail job before, you’ll know that training that comes from above is part and parcel of what you do daily. This, however, is a little more than that — a full event that takes employees from across the states and puts them all together to learn about a new product.

Again, there’s no indication of when ‘early 2024’ actually will be, but it shows that Apple is ready to launch its new device — And that it wants its staff to be ready.