It wouldn't be so shocking if the bulk of the “million-plus” apps that Apple says Vision Pro will launch with are mostly just existing iPad or iPhone versions. But what's a bit surprising is that some of Apple's big first-party apps will be there too, including Podcasts, News, Calendar and Reminders, according to Mark Gurman. employment the news to Bloomberg today.
This seems like an odd choice for Apple's big, shiny new platform at first glance. But whether this is actually an issue may depend on how well the Vision Pro's point-and-click interface ports its touch-first approach to apps. After all, it's not as if the Reminders app needs stunning, immersive 3D effects. But part of the platform's appeal for some people will be the Vision Pro's capabilities as a productivity device. If using a calendar app is frustrating because its main input method doesn't completely gets the job done, it might dampen the experience of the $3,500 device a bit.
Gorman's article reflects the generally muted story of Vision Pro recently. Developer enthusiasm is low due to factors like Apple's 30 percent App Store cut, which is particularly painful for a product that, he writes, the company may have only made 80,000 units at launch, leaving a small pool of users to sell apps to. Also, independent developers who were unable to obtain the Vision Pro development kit may not want to spend the high entry price, which app maker Paul Haddad balked at Share Mastodon Quoted in Bloomberg story.
Big companies are out too. Neither YouTube nor Netflix will have a native app to launch the headset, and both have chosen not to allow their iPad apps to run on it. In their case, you can only use their website through Safari, which might be fine Both sites Support 4K playback Using Apple's browser, at least on Mac. You probably won't miss the apps on the Vision Pro at all (unless you're particularly excited about being able to sit in the desert to watch star Wars).
None of this is necessarily an indictment of Vision Pro as a product without knowing how people will use it. We've already seen this with the Apple Watch and Apple TV, neither of which are particularly known for having a vibrant app ecosystem, but people seem to love both equally. Like those devices, the headset is a distinct platform from the iPad and iPhone. However, the lack of developer enthusiasm is not particularly encouraging. After all, the Vision Pro will need more than a few great 3D movie apps to thrive.
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