This is what it’s like to buy or demo an Apple Vision Pro in Canada

Canadians can now buy an Apple Vision Pro headset and all the accessories from the Apple Store.

I went to the Apple Store this morning to see what the buying/demo experience was all about. From what I saw, I think most people should buy or at least pick up their headsets in a physical Apple Store if they can since you get to spend some extra time making sure you have the perfect fit. Apple also runs you through a demo experience, which can be helpful since this device is futuristic.

At my local Apple Store at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, there are two long tables near the front/middle of the store showcasing the Vision Pro with iPads underneath so people can learn about the device’s specs and features. These tables lead your eye up towards a new section of cool benches in the centre of the room that has been set up so four people can demo the headset at a time. Don’t worry; if those slots are full, Apple will run more demos, but just sitting at a regular table off to the side.

The benches are cool and custom-designed, with a small table in the middle on which to place the headset. This setup also includes a cool machine that looks like a coffee maker, which Apple can place your glasses into. It scans your prescription, so you can try the demo with Zeiss lenses if you regularly wear glasses. If you have contacts, you can just use the device without the inserts, which is good because the Zeiss optics are $150 for reading glasses and $200 for prescription lenses.

Once you’re settled onto the bench, an Apple Store employee will bring out a Vision Pro on a cool wooden tray, and you can start your demo. Notably, Apple does these demos with the Dual Loop band instead of the Solo Knit band that was featured during the original U.S. demos. I think this is a good change since it allows new users to experience the device without having to fiddle with the specifics of the Solo Knit band, which, in my opinion, is cooler but does take a few hours to get true to your face and head shape.

Left: machine to read glasses prescriptions. Right: The cool Vision Pro serving tray.

The demos seem to run for 30-45 minutes, and each person in a headset works with their own Apple employee who’s guiding them through how to use the device while AirPlaying the screen onto an iPad mini. One demo I watched of someone buying the headset went on much longer since his partner also went through the demo experience, and they fitted both of them for Vision Pro accessories to share with one headset. Customized accessories include the Light Seal and the previously mentioned Zeiss lenses.

Separate light Seals cost $279 and come with two Light Seal Cushions like the Vision Pro. The light Seal (and the cushions) come in 14 sizes, and each size has a Wide or Narrow variant, for a total of 28 different Light Seals. This is probably the most important part of your fit, and I think it’s worth going to the Apple Store just to try on a few different sizes to make sure you get one that feels comfortable to you.

If you ordered your headset online, you can swap out your Light Seal, and Apple will send you another size. You’ll have 14 days to try that one out before you decide whether to keep it.

Other accessories are priced as follows;

• Travel Case – $279
• Light Seal – $279
• Belkin Battery clip holder – $69.95
• Vision Pro Battery – $279
• Vision Pro reading lenses – $139
• Vision Pro prescription lenses – $199
• Light Seal Cushion – $39
• Solo Knit band – $139
• Dual Loop band – $139
• Magic Keyboard – $119 -$179
• Magic Trackpad – $149

If you want to read more about my experiences with the headset, you can read how I felt after my first demo or how MobileSyrup’s former editor-in-chief, Patrick O’Rourke, felt. I also have a full review of the device based on using it for a week here.

You can book a demo at on Apple’s website to try the headset yourself. The Vision Pro starts at $4,999 in Canada.