Apple Claims Vision Pro SDK Downloads Exceeded Expectations, Despite Reports of Lower Interest

Apple claims that its Vision Pro software development kit (SDK) downloads have exceeded expectations during the lead-up to the release of its mixed-reality headset. This is despite reports of lower-than-ideal interest from developers.

Recently, Digital Trends sat down with Vision Pro marketing executive Steve Sinclair and Apple VP of developer relations Susan Prescott. During the interview, the two denied reports that developers had waning interest in the Vision Pro.

In early August, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman claimed that Vision Pro developer labs were “under-filled with small amounts of developers.” While anecdotal, it painted a picture that developers may not be entirely onboard with Apple’s Vision Pro. However, Apple seemingly denies this assumption, claiming that they’ve seen “extremely high, three-digit customer satisfaction for the labs that we’ve run so far,” Prescott told Digital Trends. In addition, Sinclair said that the number of downloads of the Vision Pro SDK “exceeded our expectations.”

Apple has hosted Vision Pro developer labs as a way to support app developers and allow them to test software on the upcoming tech. These sessions have been held in the U.S., London, Munich, Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai.

While it may appear as though interest may be low, it could also be explained that developers are simply not ready to test their apps yet. Vision Pro isn’t expected to launch until “early 2024” in the U.S. Canada isn’t expected to receive the headset until later in the year. Another explanation may simply be that developers are waiting for dev kits to be used within their studios or on-location of development.

Vision Pro is launching for $3,499 USD (around $4,757 CAD).