Apple released the first-ever version of the visionOS SDK back in June, and now it’s following that up with the second release. The company announced on its developer website today that visionOS 1 beta 2 is now available.
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Apple Vision Pro won’t hit stores until next year. However, Apple said in June that developers could apply for a Developer Kit to test their apps ahead of the official launch. As of today, developers can now apply for an Apple Vision Pro Developer Kit.
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Technically, there won’t be any shortage of Vision Pro apps at launch, given that existing iPad apps will run on the platform. But that’s much like arguing that there was no shortage of iPad apps when the device was launched, because iPhone apps ran on the tablet.
Porting apps to Apple’s spatial computer in a way that takes full advantage of the very different environment of Vision Pro takes work – and early signs aren’t looking good …
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With the visionOS SDK and simulator now available, developers have started showing off what they have planned for Vision Pro. Widgetsmith developer David Smith has published some in-depth blog posts on his early experience designing for visionOS that showcase the design process and considerations.
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It’s as yet unclear how many Vision Pro games we can expect. Apple very much positioned its spatial computer as a productivity and communications device – and the price certainly makes it an expensive proposition for gaming use – but the company did mention during the keynote that Unity would be providing a visionOS games development platform, PolySpatial.
Unity is now inviting visionOS developers to apply for access to a beta, making it easy to port existing Unity-based games to the headset …
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Minimizing video lag is crucial to mixed-reality headsets which blend virtual content with live video overlays of the real world, and we’re today learning more about how Apple ensures that Vision Pro performance is up to the task.
A supply-chain report says that the new R1 chip, which processes all the cameras and sensor inputs, is being packaged with custom-designed low-latency memory. This setup is said to double the performance over what would otherwise be possible …
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Bloomberg today released a report describing some of the planning going on in the Apple retail division to prepare for the launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, previously announced as available in the US “early next year.”
The report says that — at least out the gate — Vision Pro will only be purchasable by appointment. Apple retail workers will help ensure customers get a Vision Pro with an appropriately fitting headband and light seal. It will represent the most logistically complex rollout ever for an Apple product.
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Have a Meta Quest sitting around? You can now experience a rough estimation of what using visionOS on an actual headset will be like. No need to spend $3,500 on Vision Pro or whatever the going rate for a time machine to next year costs these days.
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Update: The album is now live on Apple Music after what has been described as a “misunderstanding” between Apple and digital aggregator Ditto Music.
A Vision Pro parody ad on an album featuring actor Stephen Fry has been banned from an album on Apple Music. The spoof ad for an iHead product was actually created some four years before Apple actually launched a headset (sorry, spatial computer), and you can watch it below …
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If you thought Apple Vision Pro was pricey at $3,500, wait until you hear about this one. Caviar, a luxury jewelry company, has unveiled its customized version of Vision Pro made with 18-karat. Plus, it even has flip-down shades to hide the divisive EyeSight feautre and “protect your privacy.”
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When Apple unveiled Vision Pro at WWDC, there was one thing the keynote and subsequent demos didn’t focus on: gaming. There are a multitude of reasons why the first version of Vision Pro might not be an ideal gaming headset, but one of the biggest is Apple’s lack of support for VR game controllers.
Bloomberg now reports that Apple “isn’t planning its own Vision Pro game controller, nor is it actively planning support for third-party VR accessories.”
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Everyone I know who has tried Apple’s upcoming spatial computer has been impressed, but the big question remains: What is Vision Pro for? Who will buy it, and why?
Having had the opportunity to use a similar high-end mixed reality headset, and to consider some of the use cases of that device, I think I’m now a step closer to being able to at least partially answer that question …
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We’ve been keeping a close eye on the ticker tape (ok, the Stocks app) as it seems that any day now could see a milestone APPL $3T valuation.
But as the company gets ever closer to hitting that market cap, a new Bloomberg piece argues that the recent announcement of Vision Pro likely plays little role in this …
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Apple’s spatial computer may not go on sale until some point next year, but that’s not stopping third-party companies from announcing Vision Pro accessories.
Popular iPhone case maker CASETiFY has announced a range of accessories for the upcoming headset, under the Bounce Vision sub-brand. These include personalized color combinations, and even one-of-a-kind designs …
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There aren’t many cases of another company charging more than Apple for a similar product, but the Varjo XR-3 mixed-reality headset is a rare example.
Not having been one of the chosen few to be invited to try Vision Pro (was it something I said?), I took advantage of an invitation to try what Varjo believes is the most advanced mixed-reality device available. In particular, I wanted to see whether it could change my view of the tech as something that doesn’t yet justify the steep price-tag when it comes to my own needs …
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While Vision Pro is getting all the headlines at the moment, it’s likely that a future Apple Glasses device will be the one to turn wearable AR into a mass-market product. Apple was set to face competition from a product codenamed Google Iris, but a new report says that the search giant has now abandoned work on the device.
Project Iris was first reported some 18 months ago, and unlike the ill-fated Google Glass product, it did seem to be something people might actually be happy to wear …
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Apple Vision Pro has officially been announced, and we’re still deep in the hype phase for the highly anticipated mixed reality headset. There’s a good reason for that.
For starters, we’ve been hoping that the past few years would finally be the year of the headset. It’s been in development that long. More importantly, the Apple headset launch is actually happening.
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Apple has limited a Vision Pro safe area to 10 feet by 10 feet, when using fully immersive VR experiences. It follows earlier news of a speed limit when using the device.
The limit is likely designed to prevent the sort of virtual reality headset accidents frequently seen in YouTube videos, but some are saying that it might prove too limiting for some types of gameplay, as well as proving a significant limitation for some commercial and industrial uses …
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The announcement of the $3500 Vision Pro starting price didn’t go down well with those in the keynote audience, but a company which makes an even more expensive mixed-reality headset believes that Apple’s entry into the field is a good thing for its own prospects.
Varjo’s XR-3 VR/AR headset comes in at an even more eye-watering $6500, but the company claims that it welcomes the competition …
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In today’s Power On newsletter by Mark Gurman, he reports that Apple has opened up the Apple Vision Pro headset testing to more employees inside the company following the WWDC unveiling. One issue that has come up in expanded testing is the weight.
The Vision Pro headset is not light, partly because it is made of aluminum and glass rather than plastic materials. To combat this, Apple has developed a top strap that helps mitigate the pressure of the weight on the user’s face. But Gurman says Apple is not currently considering that to be so essential it will be included in the box.
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Apple unveiled its mixed reality headset called Vision Pro earlier this month. As of this week, developers have been able to access the necessary tools to create apps for visionOS. Now the latest version of App Store Connect is out with support for visionOS apps.
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Apple announced Vision Pro at WWDC 2023. But even so, there are still a lot of details that the company hasn’t revealed about the device since it won’t be available in stores until 2024. But with the release of the visionOS SDK, we were able to find out more about how the platform works. And one interesting detail about Vision Pro is that the headset may not work when the user is at high speeds.
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We noted last week that Vision Pro supply will be constrained by the advanced OLEDoS displays used in this device. So far, Sony is Apple’s sole supplier, but Chinese company SeeYa is hoping to change that.
SeeYa has just spent $24M on kit designed to boost its own production of OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) displays, and the company is reportedly targeting Apple orders …
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Apple yesterday released the first SDK for visionOS, and we dived into the Xcode simulator to take a look at what we can expect. The company also released Vision Pro developer guidelines, which provide more clues about the upcoming spatial computing experience.
Third-party Vision Pro apps are likely to play a significant role in boosting the appeal of the device, and Apple is offering developers advice on providing the best user experience …
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