Apple says developers have optimized 600+ apps for the Vision Pro in time for its February 2 launch, including Airmail, Box, MUBI, Night Sky, Parcel, and PCalc

Apple today announced that over 600 apps with native support for visionOS will be available on the Vision Pro when the headset launches in the U.S. this Friday.

MacRumors 2024-02-01 Joe Rossignol

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple spent the prior months building the Vision Pro software pipeline: it released the visionOS SDK and developer-kit path, then said compatible iPhone and iPad apps would be published to the headset’s App Store by default. The 600-plus native-app figure is the first launch-day measure of how much of that pipeline produced software designed specifically for visionOS.

The announcement also follows Apple’s effort to define these as “spatial computing apps” rather than through established AR or VR labels. That framing makes the availability of recognizable productivity, media, utility, and developer-facing apps important to the product’s initial positioning.

First-order effects

Vision Pro buyers gain access at launch to more than 600 native visionOS apps, including named apps from Airmail, Box, MUBI, Night Sky, Parcel, and PCalc.
Developers that optimized for visionOS receive immediate distribution on the new headset alongside the broader pool of automatically published compatible iPhone and iPad apps.

Second-order effects

The native-app count gives developers that have not yet optimized a clearer reason to assess whether their apps need headset-specific interfaces rather than relying only on compatibility.
Apple can use the launch catalog to support its spatial-computing positioning, while participating app makers can test whether a dedicated visionOS version merits continued product investment.

Third-order effects

If native-app development continues to outpace simple compatibility ports, Vision Pro’s software ecosystem could increasingly differentiate around interfaces and use cases built for spatial computing.
The key uncertainty is whether launch participation converts into sustained updates and broader category coverage; the initial count alone does not establish enduring developer demand.

The trend: This is an early test of whether Apple can turn a new device platform from a compatibility-based app catalog into a durable native spatial-computing ecosystem.

Discussion

@lukemiani Luke Miani on x
Leaning on mixed reality and showing objects in real space is what will separate Vision Pro from just being a bunch of windows surrounding you
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
Today Unity announced that: “Resolution Games, the studio behind Demeo, Racket Club and Blaston: Is currently working on an unannounced project, built with Unity's support for the visionOS shared space, that will first launch on Apple Vision Pro this year” [image]
@tina__nigro Tina Debove Nigro on x
Congrats to Unity teams for shipping v1 of visionOS support! After using RealityKit for a while, I see how much Unity can provide to Apple's spatial computing future. Mixing SwiftUI and Unity is the best of both worlds, and Polyspatial is therefore super important.
@danmillerdev Dan Miller on x
With the Apple Vision Pro releasing we've officially released 1.0 packages for #visionOS with @unity! This includes support for windowed, Virtual Reality and Mixed reality (shared space and immersive space) apps https://blog.unity.com/... This is just the beginning 🥽🍎
@jetscott Scott Stein on x
This is interesting. Resolution made Game Room, that 3D chess/card game that's one of the first Vision Pro launch games. Reallly curious what this is.
@etienneshrdlu James Kelleher on threads
‘If you want a picture of the future, imagine Microsoft Excel stamping on a human face - for ever.’ - George Orwell
@losowsky.com Andrew Losowsky on bluesky
Microsoft's war on Apple intensifies [embedded post]
@andykreed Tweet Davidson on x
imagine washing dishes with this view [big Excel spreadsheet in Vision Pro]
@iconredesign @iconredesign on x
Microsoft and Apple are like those coworkers that secretly hang out after work at each other's homes and think they are being super discreet and fooling the office
@iphoneincanada @iphoneincanada on x
Webex App for Apple TV 4K Now Available to Download https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/ ... [image]
@migueldeicaza Miguel de Icaza on x
Bold. HoloLens never got to the point that Microsoft could ship office there Another victim of the UI feuds But their iOS native apps didn't have to content with it, so the existing UIKit codebase was upgraded to be spacial-aware Can't wait to pivot some tables in space
@broderick Ryan Broderick on x
Everyone's favorite things
@netcapgirl Sophie on x
me soon [image]
@the_blueprint Frank Bullitt on x
we're one step removed from injecting work directly into your face
@morningbrew @morningbrew on x
the future we've always dreamed of [image]
@theoriginalite @theoriginalite on x
HOLY... WOW! I found this app on GitHub that lets you screen share your Mac's Windows separately to Vision Pro. You can interact with them just as you interact with any other visionOS window, and you don't have to mirror the entire Mac interface. 🤯 [video]
@cultofmac @cultofmac on x
New Webex app lets you take video calls on the big screen via Apple TV 4K https://www.cultofmac.com/... by David Snow
@thegarrettscott Garrett Scott on x
Finance bros making a pivot table [video]
@fqure Faisal Qureshi on x
You can't look away from the screen when on a Teams meeting while these are on. Orwellian vibes
@juanmicrosoft Juan Rivera on x
Exciting news! 🎉 Microsoft Teams is launching on Apple Vision Pro on Feb 2nd. Get ready for a new era of virtual meetings! #MicrosoftTeams #AppleVisionPro [image]
@jeffteper Jeff Teper on x
Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop will be in the App Store for Apple Vision Pro on February 2nd. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ ... https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ ... [image]
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, and many other Office apps are launching on Apple's Vision Pro headset this week. There's even an AI-powered Copilot experience too. Details below 👇 https://www.theverge.com/...

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