Apple Vision Pro sellers should warn about the glasses’ performance limitations

Russian retail chains that have opened pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro virtual reality glasses must warn consumers about the numerous limitations of the device, otherwise they face large fines. Thus, the devices do not support the Russian language, require setting up an account in the US, and until recently did not allow you to reset your password outside of official Apple stores. Large retailers promise to replace devices if they malfunction. But their availability may be limited – for example, Kommersant was unable to find traces of customs notification about encryption and cryptographic means in relation to Apple Vision Pro.

Russian importers declared the import of 64 Apple Vision Pro glasses (mixed reality headsets) into the country. In the earliest declaration, the invoice was drawn up on February 6, four days after the start of sales in the United States, according to the EAEU registry data. The documents mention two importers: FGC LLC (does not conduct public activities) and Main Systems. The latter’s website says that it also deals with the purchase of equipment and logistics support; the Lanit group and MTS are named among its clients. Main Systems did not respond to Kommersant’s request. MTS reported that they received more than 600 applications for Apple Vision Pro, and on February 13 they began issuing the first pre-orders; the company did not disclose their number.

Kommersant interviewed retailers offering Apple Vision Pro about warranty and sales support. The device, presented in retail in the Russian Federation at a price of 580 thousand rubles, is officially sold only in the USA, and in other countries it works with restrictions. Director of restore: (part of the Inventive Retail Group controlled by Lanit) Rasim Lemberansky told Kommersant that the company “warns customers about all restrictions and features.” MTS says that “the features of Apple Vision Pro in the Russian Federation” are disclosed on the product page in the online store. Sellers “tell customers about all the nuances of the devices’ operation,” M.Video-Eldorado assured.

The visionOS operating system on which the headset runs supports interface display and text input in English only. Most online features, including installing apps and connecting to computers, are not available without a US Apple ID. The first version of visionOS required users who forgot the unlock password to return the headset to the official Apple store in the US, but this condition disappeared with the February 12 update.

If the seller does not inform about the limitations of the Apple Vision Pro, he faces significant costs in the event of buyer claims, emphasizes Comply partner Maxim Ali. “The fine for refusing to accept the return of goods is 50% of the price, plus penalties and compensation for moral damage. In practice, we are talking about approximately twice the cost of the product, which is a significant amount given the current price of the headset. The seller who notified the restrictions must be considered to have fulfilled the conditions regarding the quality of the goods. The fact that a device does not work as expected in the Russian Federation does not mean that it is excluded from circulation,” he says.

With regard to warranties for Apple Vision Pro, retailers are prepared to comply with consumer rights law. Restore: and M.Video-Eldorado promised to replace it with a new one if the device malfunctions; MTS mentioned a one-year warranty period. Sellers in the Russian Federation, according to IT expert Sergei Villanov, are unlikely to offer extended service programs, since the design of the Apple Vision Pro is “too complex to repair.” He says that the situation may change “when the device is officially sold in other CIS countries or Turkey and Apple introduces its own repair program for headsets.”

The question is whether replacement devices will be available. Computers and digital electronics are subject to the requirement to issue a customs notification of encryption and cryptographic means. But Kommersant did not find any mention of Apple Vision Pro or visionOS in the corresponding EAEU register. The import of encryption and cryptographic means into the territory of the EAEU without notification is prohibited, says Mikhail Ganushchak, lawyer of the Knyazev and Partners MCA. However, the expert clarified, Russian legislation has not yet established liability for this offense, and law enforcement practice has not yet developed.

Yuri Litvinenko