Developers Try Apple Vision Pro, Get Mind Blown

When Michael Simmons, CEO of Flexibits, the powerhouse behind popular apps like Fantastical and Cardhop, showcased Fantastical at the Apple Vision Pro labs this summer, the experience was transformative. “It was like seeing Fantastical for the first time. It felt like I was part of the app,” he remarked.

Apple Vision Pro labs, since their debut in August, have welcomed global developers from cities including London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Cupertino. The labs provide developers the opportunity to test apps, engage with Apple experts, and enhance their hands-on experience.

Simmons praised the labs for their innovation, dubbing them “a proving ground” for potential advancements in software. He shared, “Experiencing spatial computing not only validated the designs we’d been thinking about — it helped us start thinking not just about left to right or up and down, but beyond borders at all.” Simmons, brimming with ideas, wondered, “What if you have the whole week wrap around you in 360 degrees? I could probably talk for two hours about this.”

David Smith, developer and podcaster, echoed Simmons’ enthusiasm. After extensively preparing for his first visit to the labs, he noted, “From there, I just pretended I was at home developing the next feature.” But it was when he saw his app, Widgetsmith, operational for the first time on the Apple Vision Pro that he experienced “the audible gasp,” as described in a story on Apple’s developer news portal.

Ben Guerrette, Chief Experience Officer for Pixite, emphasized the distinctive user interaction challenges when testing their video editor app, Spool, on Apple Vision Pro. “At first, we didn’t know if it would work in our app. But now we understand where to go. It gives us the chance to say, ‘OK, now we understand what we’re working with, and how we can make a stronger connection.’”

Slack’s principal design technologist, Chris Delbuck, was similarly impressed. During his testing, he realized the potential of 3D visuals, commenting, “It instantly got me thinking about how 3D offerings and visuals could come forward in our experiences.”

As developers continue their work post-lab, the shared sentiment is the invaluable learning from their Apple Vision Pro experiences. Smith confidently stated, “Now there’s a step change in my ability to develop in the simulator, write quality code, and design good user experiences.”

Simmons summed up the general sentiment by highlighting the labs’ potential to redefine the approach to app development: “With Apple Vision Pro and spatial computing, I’ve truly seen how to start building for the boundless canvas. And that will help us make better apps.”

Apple Vision Pro will debut exclusively in the U.S. next year, priced from $3,499 USD, or about $4,700 CAD.