Apple Vision Pro will have a ton of apps at launch, that’s why. In the latest issue of his “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that when Apple’s Vision Pro headset goes on sale next year, a huge amount of apps will be available thanks to the huge reservoir of those available for iOS and iPadOS.
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These are the three types of apps that can be run:
– Apps for iPhone and iPad: Existing, unchanged apps that run in a window, just like those that can now run on iPhone and iPad without developers having to deal with adaptation.
Converted iPad Apps: Native apps for visionOS (Apple’s headset operating system), updated by developers with interface optimizations that improve the Mixed Reality headset experience.
All-new visionOS-specific apps: Apps built from the ground up with specific VR and mixed reality features in mind. Among the advantages of these apps, the possibility of exploiting the very high resolution of the displays and controls that take into account the movements of the eyes. Apple has already announced the arrival of tools and software technologies that allow developers to create specific apps for Apple Vision Pro, and in August it will open laboratories in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo, where developers will be able to test their apps on Apple Vision Pro hardware and receive assistance.
Apple has built tools and frameworks for Xcode, SwiftUI, RealityKit, ARKit and TestFlight, and created Reality Composer Pro, a tool for previewing and preparing 3D models, animations, images and sounds. There is also the visionOS simulator, to allow the possibility of interacting with the apps and trying out layouts for different environments and lighting conditions, and the possibility of porting apps that use the Unity “engine” to Apple Vision Pro.
“Initially, I anticipate that many apps for Vision Pro will focus on streaming video,” Gurman reports. “Disney+ has already reported the arrival of Vision Pro, and the wide-ranging agreement with Amazon probably means similar provisions for Prime Video”. Gurman also reports that some productivity app developers – such as Microsoft and Zoom Video Communications – have already reported that they are developing apps for the platform.
Gurman notes that, at least at the moment, Netflix has not indicated plans to develop native apps for Vision Pro.
The device with the first space operating system in the world, Vision Pro will allow the user to interact with digital contents as if they were physically present in his space, controlling them with eyes, hands and voice. The arrival of Vision Pro in the USA is scheduled for early 2024 starting from $3499 and, at least initially, in limited quantities.