If you’ve noticed Apple Vision Pro is missing some key app experiences, a leading industry analyst has just explained why.
In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Mark Gurman reviews some of the main parts of Apple’s latest headset, praising its digital content and eye tracking. He goes on to criticize its passthrough, and further states “The lack of apps on the Vision Pro is a real drawback.“
Later on, he answers the question “Why are developers not moving more quickly to create visionOS apps?” where he goes into more detail about Vision Pro app woes.
“Many developers remain frustrated with Apple. They believe the company’s fees are too high and that App Store policies are too restrictive” Gurman explains, likely referring to the recent Epic Games vs Apple case, The resulting court decision requires Apple to allow developers to link to other payment methods. Spotify, another app not supported on Apple Vision Pro, has also slammed Apple for its huge commission cuts.
What changes need to be made?
Apple recently announced major EU App Store changes that will introduce third-party app stores to iOS as an alternative means of app distribution. Gurman further elaborated that some companies don’t believe Apple is “going beyond the minimum requirements” in order to comply with the EU's new Digital Markets Act. Epic Game’s CEO Tim Sweeney recently called Apple’s new cut of third-party app purchases a “devious new instance of Malicious Compliance”.
It looks like Apple has lost goodwill with some large companies following the Epic Games case and its interpretation of the DMA, and Apple Vision Pro isn’t a big enough deal to hurt the companies refusing to cooperate.
Gurman also points out that “If developers aren’t on the iPhone or iPad, it will hurt their own bottom line. If they’re not on the Vision Pro, they’re not losing much.” Apple Vision Pro is selling well, based on early estimates, but the price and function make it a niche device. Huge companies like Netflix don’t think they’ll miss out on much by skipping the launch of Apple Vision Pro and choosing to abstain might make Apple go back on those app fees. When Netflix said Apple Vision Pro is “so subscale that it’s not really particularly relevant to most of our members”, it meant it.
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