Hello everyone. We are getting our first look at the visionOS software development kit (SDK). Developers are now able to give visionOS a spin in a simulated environment via Reality Composer (macOS and iOS apps).

One reason Apple unveiled Vision Pro at WWDC was to give developers time to develop apps ahead of the headset’s release in early 2024 (my expectation: March/April 2024). Today's update will focus on the SDK and a few points regarding app development.

Apple Releases visionOS SDK

In a press release issued yesterday, here’s Apple:

“Apple today announced the availability of new software tools and technologies that enable developers to create groundbreaking app experiences for Apple Vision Pro — Apple’s first spatial computer. Featuring visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in their physical space using the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — their eyes, hands, and voice. Starting today, Apple’s global community of developers will be able to create an entirely new class of spatial computing apps that take full advantage of the infinite canvas in Vision Pro and seamlessly blend digital content with the physical world to enable extraordinary new experiences. With the visionOS SDK, developers can utilize the powerful and unique capabilities of Vision Pro and visionOS to design brand-new app experiences across a variety of categories including productivity, design, gaming, and more.

Next month, Apple will open developer labs in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo to provide developers with hands-on experience to test their apps on Apple Vision Pro hardware and get support from Apple engineers. Development teams will also be able to apply for developer kits to help them quickly build, iterate, and test right on Apple Vision Pro.”

One takeaway from this year’s WWDC and the Vision Pro demo was that Apple has something big on its hands, and they know it. Part of that observation relates to Apple’s well-thought-out and comprehensive approach to getting Vision Pro off the ground. This includes everything from a well-orchestrated demo strategy for members of the press, an SDK for developers, and what will eventually be consumer demos at Apple stores. We now have new information about Apple opening developer labs around the world and making developer HW kits available to some teams/companies. This is not a trivial launch effort for some niche product that Apple isn’t sure about. Instead, Apple is all-on on Vision Pro as its next computing platform.

In a new document published yesterday alongside the visionOS SDK, meant to help developers approach visionOS, Apple went over many details as to how it expects the platform to be used. The full document is available here.

A few highlights:

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