Accessory vendor Belkin will offer a clip for Vision Pro’s external battery pack by the time the $3500 headset hits Apple’s retail stores in the United States.
Apple’s physical and online stores in the United States will stock Belkin’s accessory from day one, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Apple has commissioned Belkin to create a clip to hold Vision Pro’s external battery pack, which Belkin will also sell when the device debuts on February 2.
Other companies are expected to offer their own Vision Pro accessories in the future. However, Belkin will be the first to offer a third-party Vision Pro accessory.
Belkin to create a Vision Pro battery clip
Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman reports that Belkin’s accessory will be helpful for folks looking to take their Vision Pro on the go “but don’t have a pocket or bag to put the battery in.”
The device doesn’t use an internal battery to keep the weight down. Instead, the Vision Pro box includes an external battery pack that slips into the user’s pocket and connects to the headset via a cable that has a proprietary magnetic connector.
Gurman on why Apple prefers Belkin:
When Apple knows it needs a certain accessory but doesn’t want to create it in-house, the company has a tried-and-true method: hitting up Belkin. That supplier has made Apple accessories for decades and was acquired by a Foxconn Technology Group subsidiary in 2018. Foxconn, of course, is Apple’s main manufacturing partner.
The battery is good for two hours of operation for “general use”. Video playback time is rated at 2.5 hours when streaming 2D video from Apple’s TV app.
Apple’s stores getting ready for the Vision Pro launch
Gurman also outlined a lengthy sales pitch and demonstration process that would-be shoppers will need to endure when purchasing the headset at a physical store, like scanning the lenses of glasses-wearers for prescription information.
Apple will start taking Vision Pro pre-orders beginning this Friday, January 19. The device will launch at Apple’s retail stores in the United States on February 2, and will become available to purchase in other countries later in 2024.