The General Administration of Customs in China recently seized a shipment of Apple Vision Pro headsets. According to the Chinese authority, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Customs under Gongbei Customs seized a shipment of a head-mounted display device which was coming into the country illegally. At about 16:00 on February 18, a Hong Kong single-brand bus drove into the entry channel of the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. During an inspection by on-site customs officers, they discovered that the luggage in the vehicle was abnormal. Subsequently, customs officers seized four Apple Vision Pros from the car. The customs put the total market value of the shipment at over 100,000 yuan ($13,893).
The image above shows the courier of the shipment with four boxes of the Apple Vision Pro headset at the Chinese customs office
Why is the Apple Vision Pro headset not legal in China at the moment?
All electronic devices in the world need the approval of the local authorities of the region it wants to sell before entering the market. Getting the approval of local authorities is a process that takes a few weeks or months. It is important to note that at the moment, the Apple Vision Pro is not legal in China. This is because Apple is still in the process of getting approval from the local authorities in China. Apple made this very clear at the launch event for the Vision Pro.
Apple said that this device is only official in the U.S. but it is working on other regions to get relevant approvals. The company also said that it will not be liable for any Vision Pro outside the shores of the U.S. Since Apple has not officially announced that it has the approvals it needs to sell in China, then the device is illegal in the country.
According to the Wall Street Journal, supply chain sources claim that Apple Vision Pro will launch in China as early as April and “no later than May.” The supply chain also stated that Vision Pro’s “registration process with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is close to completion. The first batch of sales in China will be relatively tight.”
Gizchina News of the week
On February 2, Cook visited the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York, USA. When asked when Vision Pro would be launched in China, Cook responded: “Not sure about the specific time, but it will be soon.“
Possible reasons behind the shipment
Since the official launch of the Vision Pro headset in the U.S., it has attracted a lot of attention globally. This is an innovative product and as Apple will put it, it is like nothing we have seen before. For this reason, people are eager to try out this new product. Here are some possible reasons why the product was shipped to China
- The buyer is enthusiastic about the product and couldn’t wait for the official launch to try it out
- The buyer is racing to be the first in the Chinese region to try out the new product.
- The buyer could be a blogger who wants to be one of the first to carry out a hands-on review of the device in the Chinese region
- The shipment could be for profit. Since it is not official in China, it could be sold at inflated prices.
Please note that this seizure will not have any impact on the Vision Pro headset when it launches in China. The seizure is simply a lesson for those who are impatient about bringing electronic devices to regions where they are not yet approved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the recent seizure of Apple Vision Pro headsets by Chinese customs highlights the complexities of international product distribution and regulatory compliance. Despite being officially available only in the U.S., unauthorized shipments of the device were intercepted. This underscores the demand for Apple’s innovative technology globally. However, the incident also underscores the importance of adhering to local regulations and obtaining necessary approvals before shipment.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO has said the device will launch in China soon. Apple has advised that buyers should wait until it officially launches before shipment. To avoid customs seizures, it is best to adhere to Apple’s advice. When the company gets all the approvals it needs, it will let the public know.
