The Vision Pro mixed reality headset is Apple’s first major new product category since the Apple Watch. And for that you need as many developers as possible: That’s why Apple has been beating the drums for weeks, releasing beta versions of the visionOS operating system and simulators for the Mac, giving out test devices to developers – and recently inviting them to supervised programming at six locations worldwide. But these Vision Pro Developer Labs seem to be less popular than expected, according to the well-known Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who has good contacts inside Apple.
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“I’ve heard so far that the Vision Pro developer labs (for testing applications on actual hardware) are understaffed – with a small number of developers,” he wrote on Wednesday on X. What could be the reason for this, however, remains in the dark. Gurman himself has heard that some devs criticize where the Vision Pro Developer Labs are held, for example there is only one location in the US. “Some developers emphasize that (Apple) doesn’t offer sessions on the East Coast and Cupertino is the only option for the entire US.” In addition, although Apple holds the events free of charge, it does not bear any travel and/or hotel costs. Apparently some developers shy away from these costs.
In addition to Cupertino, Apple also offers its development laboratories for the headset in London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Munich and Singapore. Other locations are not offered. There are also specific requirements for participation: “Lab appointments are available to current Apple Developer Program or Apple Developer Enterprise Program members who are at least 18 years old. You must have a new visionOS app in active development or an existing iPadOS – or have an iOS app,” writes the group.
Wait and see attitude among devs?
It is also conceivable that some developers initially want to wait and see how the market develops – or simply haven’t had the time to deal with the topic. The Vision Pro itself is scheduled to be launched in early 2024, first in the US and later in other regions of the world. Due to the high price of at least 3500 US dollars – in Europe more 4000 euros are expected – the target group for apps could initially remain quite small. Allegedly fewer than 400,000 units will be produced in the first year by the exclusive manufacturer of the headset, Luxshare. This is mainly due to the high complexity of the hardware with a dozen cameras, high-resolution micro-OLED displays and numerous sensors, which some analysts consider the most complicated consumer device of all time.
It is still unclear how many developers have decided to borrow a Vision Pro Developer Kit – and how many devices Apple actually has available. The offering was launched concurrently with the start of Developer Labs. Apple makes numerous specifications here, so only the customer and his “authorized developer” are allowed to see the device at all, otherwise it has to remain locked away. As with the developer labs, you also receive direct support from Apple.
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