It won't be a big surprise if most of the “more than 1 million” apps that Apple says it will launch Vision Pro with are mostly existing iPad or iPhone versions. But what's a little surprising is that some of Apple's big first-party apps will be too, including Podcasts, News, Calendar, and Reminders, according to Mark Gurman. Switched on Newsletter for Bloomberg today.
At first glance, it seems like an odd choice for Apple's big, shiny new platform. But whether it's actually a problem may depend on how well the Vision Pro's look-and-touch interface adapts to the touch-based approach of apps. After all, it's not like the Reminders app needs mind-blowing immersive 3D effects. But part of the platform's appeal for some people will be the Vision Pro's possibilities as a productivity device. If it's frustrating to use the Calendar app because its main input method doesn't quite do the job, that might sour the experience of the $3,500 device a bit.
Gurman's article reflects an overall muted history of the Vision Pro app as of late. He writes that developer enthusiasm is low due to factors like the 30 percent cut in Apple's App Store, which hurts especially for a product that, as he writes, the company may have made only 80,000 units of in the year. time of launch, which generates a small group of users to sell to. applications for. Additionally, indie developers who couldn't get their hands on a Vision Pro developer kit may not want to spend the high entry price, something app maker Paul Haddad objected to in a mastodon pole cited in the Bloomberg history.
Big companies are also out. Neither YouTube nor Netflix will have a native app to launch the headphones, and both have chosen not to allow their iPad apps to run on them. In your case, you can use their websites through Safari, which might be fine, since both sites supports 4K playback using Apple's browser, at least on Mac. You might not miss the Vision Pro apps at all (unless you're especially excited about being able to sit in the desert and watch them). Star Wars).
None of this is necessarily a criticism of the Vision Pro as a product without knowing how people will use it. We've already seen that with the Apple Watch and Apple TV, neither of which are particularly known for having a vibrant app ecosystem, but people seem to like them both equally. And like those devices, headphones are a different platform from the iPad and iPhone. Still, the lack of enthusiasm from developers is not particularly encouraging. After all, Vision Pro will need more than a few cool 3D movie apps to thrive.
