When Apple unveiled the Vision Pro AR Headset during WWDC in June, it received mixed reactions not only from the general public but also from developers. Many developers immediately dove into the Vision Pro testing labs and started working with Apple for possible apps while others simply showed no interest in Apple’s newest product offering.
Remaining Optimistic About the Future of the Vision Pro
Being the newest product category since the Apple Watch, it is but normal for Apple to be confident about the Vision Pro. But whether the AR headset will become a success during its early days depends on how enthusiastic developers are in joining the bandwagon to develop interesting and ground-breaking apps for Vision Pro.
And yes, Apple is confident that developers will flock to the Vision Pro. Apple has already been doing a lot of things to make the Vision Pro developers’ circle exciting and enticing.
How Developers Are Responding to Vision Pro Dev Labs After WWDC
Digital Trends interviewed Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott, and Steve Sinclair, senior director of product marketing for Apple Vision Pro.
During the interview, Prescott claimed that developers are very excited to dive into the Vision Pro labs. The enthusiasm was more than Apple expected. Prescott said the tech giant has seen “extremely high, three-digit customer satisfaction for the labs that we’ve run so far.” This means that the feedback from developers has been significantly positive.
Meanwhile, Steve Sinclair said that “the number of SDK downloads has exceeded our expectations.” Apple rolled out the software development kit (SDK) of the Vision Pro right after WWDC 2023. This provided developers an opportunity to begin preparing apps for VisionOS, the name Apple has given the headset’s operating system.
What the Developers Are Saying About the Vision Pro
To reinforce Apple’s claim about the enthusiasm of developers with the Vision Pro, the report cited some of the responses of developers. Ryan McLeod, game designer at Shapes and Stories, and developer of the BlackBox iOS game, said that the Vision Pro labs hands-on sessions inspired him to port his successful iOS game to the Vision Pro. He believes that it’s important that other developers have the same experience he had to motivate them to develop apps for Vision Pro.
Reassuring the Public that Wearing the Vision Pro Is Like Wearing Nothing at All
Perhaps one of the causes of hesitation and lack of response from the consumer group is the form factor of the Vision Pro. Surely Apple is gearing the Vision Pro to become massively used by the public similar to the Apple Watch. However, many consumers might be reluctant to try it because, well, yes, it looks huge and heavy.
However, Apple was counting on the experience of people who tried the demo version of the Vision Pro. According to Sinclair:
One of the things that we’ve observed is that when people first put on Vision Pro, they’re so blown away by the new spatial experiences that they see that they oftentimes forget that they’re actually wearing something.
Sinclair also believes that the issue of the Vision Pro’s form factor can be overshadowed by the amazing experiences that the public will have once they’ve used the Vision Pro. And that, developers have a big role to play.
Conclusion
Yes, it remains to be seen whether Apple and the developers could deliver an exciting new product in the Vision Pro headset. Whether it could be a game changer, especially in the AR headset space, is as yet unknown.
One thing is for sure though, if Apple is eyeing the Vision Pro to become a household gadget, it has to do something about the Vision Pro’s pricing. It will be really difficult for Apple to convince the general public that it’s worth spending $3,499 for a headset.