Will Developers Write Apps for Apple's Vision Pro Headset?

Third-party apps will be crucial to the success of the Vision Pro, but the pricey and niche nature of the device means that developers may not quickly flock to it. Also: Apple races to build generative AI tools to keep up with the latest offerings from OpenAI and others and is planning a major change for buying products at its stores. 

When Apple Inc. released the iPhone and iPad, third-party developers embraced the devices from the start. That led to the creation of millions of apps — and set the stage for companies like Airbnb Inc. and Snap Inc. to become multibillion-dollar successes.

But the same can’t be said for Apple’s other platforms. The App Store for the Apple Watch is a ghost town: Developers like Twitter Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. have abandoned it. The Apple TV version is mostly a repository of streaming services, and it’s probably safe to assume that most people aren’t even aware there’s a store for iMessage.

Apple itself has acknowledged this, prodded by disclosure requirements in the European Union. The stores for the Apple Watch and TV have fewer than 1 million monthly active users in the region, compared with about 130 million for the iPhone, iPad and Mac stores. And you can bet that gap is similar in the US and elsewhere. 

So that poses a big question: Will the Vision Pro app store be a success like the one on the iPhone and iPad? Or will it flop like on the Apple Watch and TV?

The answer will lie somewhere in between. Developers may be slow to create Vision Pro apps because of the product’s high price and correspondingly small user base. The device also doesn’t have the kind of hand controllers available on other headsets.

On the other hand, it’s going to be relatively painless to convert current apps into visionOS fare. And that should help make the Vision Pro app store more successful than the Apple Watch and TV versions, even if it never matches the popularity of the one on iOS.

When the Vision Pro comes out, it will offer three different types of apps:

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Q: Can we expect a new Mac mini with the M3 chip?

Q: When would you expect M3 Pro and M3 Max MacBook Pros?

Q: Do you think Apple will switch the Vision Pro from an M2 to M3 chip before next year’s release?