As developers can bring iPadOS and iOS apps to Vision Pro, where apps will likely be pricier, its App Store may fare better than those on tvOS and watchOS
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.
Developers can make existing iOS and iPadOS software available on Vision Pro with a lower adaptation burden, giving the headset a faster route to baseline app selection.
For developers whose apps fit the device, the prospect of higher-priced software creates a potentially stronger revenue case than on Apple’s other secondary platforms.
Second-order effects
The niche, high-cost device still constrains expected sales, so developers are likely to distinguish between low-cost compatibility ports and the more expensive work of building headset-specific experiences.
Apple’s ability to populate the store through existing apps reduces the immediate catalog disadvantage versus new platforms, while shifting the competition toward which developers can justify native investment.
Third-order effects
If compatibility-led launches become standard, platform owners can bootstrap new device categories with inherited software libraries; long-term differentiation will still depend on whether native apps earn enough to sustain development.
This points to an exclusivity-economics problem: a smaller premium audience may support higher pricing, but it may not by itself produce a broad supply of purpose-built apps.
The trend: New computing platforms are increasingly using software compatibility to seed distribution before proving that their standalone economics can fund native developer ecosystems.
Folks don't remember the earliest days of iPhone development: when the market was limited to the subset of people willing to jailbreak. People did it because the platform was unlike anything else. I think Apple will do just fine on dev adoption for Vision Pro. [embedded post]
As the WWDC sheen wears off, and the gaming situation for visionOS becomes more clear, it's getting real hard to stay excited about this device and motivated to build for it 🫤 Having lived through iPad, 'they'll figure it out later' doesn't convince me at all
Power On: Apple's Vision Pro success hinges on third-party apps. But don't expect developers to flock to the upcoming device, at least immediately. Also: a change for sales at Apple stores https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Netflix isn't developing a native app for the Vision Pro. They'll instead offer their iPad app, unmodified - like many other developers. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Seems like the Mac mini will be waiting for the M3 Pro and Max chips to launch, simply because Apple doesn't want to update the base Mac mini to the M3 while the high-end models stick with the M2 Pro/Max for a while. Apple wants to update all of the Mac minis to M3 fam at once
The #AppleVisionPro probably won't have a native app experience for Netflix at launch, with the major streaming service allegedly declining to produce a custom app for Apple's headset. By @MalcolmOwen https://appleinsider.com/...