Developer interest in the Apple Vision Pro is positive, not negative

The Apple Vision Pro is coming very soon, releasing on 2 February in the US. As we get closer, the developer positivity is getting higher. More and more devs are appearing out of the woodwork polishing their new experiences, getting them ready for virtual shelves.

The range of differing experiences is interesting, too. A spokesperson from Unity told the Immersive Wire that creators from a variety of industries are digging in. “In addition to gaming, we're also seeing enthusiasm from other industries like auto manufacturers, health and wellness and more who are pushing the boundaries of customer experience and interaction.”

What’s less clear is how widespread this sentiment is. Let’s look a little further.

Lack of interest in the Apple Vision Pro

Interest is more muted among larger companies. Netflix and YouTube will not unveil dedicated apps for the Apple Vision Pro, while Spotify is rumoured to ensure their app does not work on the headset. The same goes for the top App Store contenders. Out of the top 46 on the platform, none are making a native visionOS version. TechCrunch reported that only 196+ apps can work with the Vision Pro, though I take the number lightly as it is well before launch day. Still, the Apple Vision Pro is not launching with some of the de facto apps present in most other computer platforms, as if it is missing a few key limbs.

Early buy-in matters for wider market legitimacy. If larger companies are not building native apps for a platform, then it indicates that there is less trust in its success. The launch of the Wii U showed this, where third-party publishers did not actively develop on a platform which seemed weak when compared to the Wii. That in turn causes a negative spiral, where there were less games on the system, which meant the Wii U looked weaker as a games console, which in turn led to developers not bothering with the system. In the end it sold 13m units compared to the Wii’s 101m.

The Apple Vision Pro is not directly comparable to the Wii U. But that early adoption curve is helpful for its continued healthy development, and the lack of large-player support might weaken its long-term runtime.   

Are developers passionate for the Apple Vision Pro?

With that said, there is an underground river of developers who are incredibly passionate about Apple’s headset. When I conducted a callout for experiences coming out for the device, I received a deluge of responses of both public (and secret) companies who are counting their eggs for the 2 February launch. I was struck by the high level of passion for the unproven headset, mixed with a fire-burst of experimentation.

Some are starting small. Contxtual, a user experience agency, is making a small app to compile a variety of volumetric experiences, all focused on useful ambient information visualisations. Meanwhile, Sandblox is a mixed reality game focused on collaborative creation of physics-based courses and puzzles. Many companies are building a smaller-scale experience on the side, then releasing on the new platform to see how it performs.

Others are conducting investigations, too. Condense, who helps make live virtual events, is transferring Studio 5 so it can work on the new headset. HoloPundits pre-developed 300 lessons of science content in biology, physics, chemistry, and anatomy, and they will all appear in XR Guru when it launches on the Apple Vision Pro. These are comparatively straightforward, tailoring the new application to a new audience.

Many people want to have a go, but are not receiving headsets to develop with. Michael Potts, CEO of Polycounts, felt that his company was side-lined for dev kits. “XR has been mostly a windows-centered environment for the past decade or so, and we have focused on the devices that were available. I feel like maybe Apple prioritized developers already in their ecosystem. I am not angry about that but I am a little salty.”

App Store popularity

Why are developers hopping in so quickly? Part of it is passion, while another is an early-mover advantage; participating in a new marketplace brings dividends at the beginning. Angry Birds was an early success from Rovio, gaining traction in February 2010. The time difference matters when it comes to platform growth, too. Apple had a six months head-start before Android, which compounded its lead. 

But is that any different from other app stores that already exist? You can argue that HTC, Pico, and Meta were quicker than Apple, releasing their own app stores and headsets long before Apple. But Apple also created systems to transfer iPad apps to Apple Vision Pro, bringing in its massive cohort of developers into a new hardware category. I am reluctant to label an “Apple effect” on new hardware, where the Cupertino company’s arrival spurs more innovation than previous entrants. But its strong developer cohort does help to spur innovation and entrants into the field.  

Based on my research, hype seems to be positive for at least the first six months of the Apple Vision Pro. There is buy-in from new types of developers who are ready to try out the new headset. The question is whether they will stick around after Autumn of this year.

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