Apple’s Vision Pro Lab Receives Positive Feedback from Developers
Sina Digital News reported on August 24th that Apple’s official website has published the feedback from developers who had the opportunity to try the Vision Pro headset at the Vision Pro lab. Last month, Apple set up developer labs in several cities including Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo to allow developers to explore the potential of the Vision Pro and create applications for it.
The one-day event at the Vision Pro lab allows developers to test and optimize their applications on VisionOS. Apple employees are also available to assist developers in solving any current issues they may encounter.
Several developers who participated in the event shared their experiences. Michael Simmons, known for apps like Fantastical and Cardhop, described his first time trying out his app on the Vision Pro as “like seeing a fantasy movie for the first time. It felt like I was part of the app.” Simmons sees the Vision Pro lab as a “proving ground” for spatial computing, expanding the boundaries of design thinking beyond traditional interfaces.
David Smith, the developer of Widgetsmith, expressed his excitement when seeing his app running on the Vision Pro for the first time. He stated, “I’ve been staring at this thing in the emulator for weeks to get a general idea of how it works, but when you first see your app in real when the machine is running, you can hear the (excited) gasp.”
Chris Delbuck, Slack’s chief design technologist, initially planned to test the company’s iPadOS version of the app on the Vision Pro. However, his time with the device sparked new ideas about how 3D products and visuals could enhance user experiences. Delbuck said, “I couldn’t have done it without this device.”
According to Michael Simmons, CEO of Flexibits, the Vision Pro lab not only provides a physical space but also helps simplify the way teams think about spatial experiences. Simmons mentioned, “With Apple Vision Pro and spatial computing, I really learned how to start building for an infinite canvas – how to stop thinking about what fits on the screen, which will help us build better apps.”
Apple is currently accepting applications from developers over the age of 18 to participate in the Vision Pro lab for free. However, applicants must already be developing a visionOS application or have an existing iPadOS or iOS application. Developers building applications optimized for Vision Pro will be given priority.
Earlier in August, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted that the labs were initially “underrepresented by developers,” but he anticipates that this will change over time as more developers discover the potential of the Vision Pro.
During the WWDC conference in June, Apple announced that the Vision Pro will be launched in the United States in early 2024 and in other countries later that year. The product will be priced at $3,499.