Apple to Provide Developers With Vision Pro Development Kits

Apple's Vision Pro headset is the company's first new product category since the Apple Watch, and it is unlike any other Apple device. It runs an operating system called visionOS, and developers will need to create augmented and virtual reality apps specifically for the headset.

Apple Vision Pro glass
To ensure that there are a wide selection of experiences available at launch, Apple plans to provide Apple Vision Pro developer kits to developers at some point in the future.

Apple says that developer kits will be offered to help developers bring their creations to life on Vision Pro, and that they will offer the ability to quickly build, iterate, and test on the headset. Developers will be able to apply to get a kit, but Apple hasn't offered details on when the kits will be made available.

The last developer kit that Apple offered was a Mac mini with an Apple silicon chip inside in 2020, and it was provided to developers to help them transition from Intel to Apple silicon. Apple sold the Mac mini machines for $500, but developers had to return them at the end of the testing program.

Apple will likely require developers to purchase an Apple Vision Pro headset to create apps for it, but the purchase price will include access to beta software, developer labs, discussion forums, technical support, and other resources if the ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ development kit is similar to the Apple silicon development kit.

Along with ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ developer kits, Apple says that it will offer ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ compatibility evaluations for existing apps and opportunities for developers to visit a Vision Pro developer lab that provides demonstrations of visionOS, iPadOS, and iOS apps running on the headset. Labs will be available in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.

More information on these tools for developing content for the Vision Pro headset will be available in July. The visionOS SDK will be available later this month.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

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Top Rated Comments

Contact_Feanor Avatar
21 months ago

Imagine paying $3500 for this joke that has 10% of the capabilities of a $500 / $1000 Meta Quest 3 / Pro. I can't believe people still fall for Apple bs marketing
You sound like Steve Balmer in 2007…
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anselpela Avatar
21 months ago

Imagine paying $3500 for this joke that has 10% of the capabilities of a $500 / $1000 Meta Quest 3 / Pro. I can't believe people still fall for Apple bs marketing
Those imitation VR toys can’t do any of what this device can do though.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serqetry Avatar
21 months ago

It’s not VR. It’s AR. The only thing remotely VR is the immersion mode which is just as much AR. THANK GOD ITS NOTHING LIKE THE QUEST.
What? Immersion mode is just VR.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
21 months ago

Imagine paying $3500 for this joke that has 10% of the capabilities of a $500 / $1000 Meta Quest 3 / Pro. I can't believe people still fall for Apple bs marketing
can the Meta Quest show my Mac’s screen wirelessly? can it also show my iMessage threads, do FaceTime and get access to the full Disney+ library?

serious questions!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolbreeze2 Avatar
21 months ago
Remember when the iPhone was being introduced and folks like Steve Ballmer mocked it for not having a keyboard? Now folks are mocking Vision Pro for no controller? Come on folks Apple has proven that you don't need the conventional stuff always.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Onelifenofear Avatar
21 months ago

Imagine paying $3500 for this joke that has 10% of the capabilities of a $500 / $1000 Meta Quest 3 / Pro. I can't believe people still fall for Apple bs marketing
Well, this has an M2 in it so it's a functional Laptop with an infinite screen.

It's a full-on AR device, not a VR games console ( thought I suspect it will be great at that )

The Meta Quest 3 looks great, the little we have seen of it but it's not a functional work computer which is what this is.

Don't forget that this is the first Gen. give it a year and there will be a consumer Apple Vision Air at $999.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)