Report: Apple Vision Pro Faces Uncertain Future Amid Developer Distaste

Two weeks before its debut, Apple’s Vision Pro is reportedly facing an uncertain future.

As Bloomberg News reported Sunday (Jan. 21), among the challenges facing the mixed reality device is the fact that three big name streaming services — Netflix, YouTube and Spotify — have indicated they won’t launch visionOS software or allow their iPad apps to run on the Vision Pro.

In addition, that report said, crucial developers like Google and Meta also seem ready to stay away from the new device, which Bloomberg said marks a break with the past.

PYMNTS has contacted Apple for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.

With previous Apple launches, developers were quick to join up, with the iPhone and iPad app stores bustling with new titles soon after they came on the market. 

The report noted that the timing of the launch isn’t helping matters, as many software developers are angry about Apple’s new policy of allowing developers to process payments outside their apps — while still paying the tech giant a commission.

Spotify criticized this new set up last week, saying that “Apple has demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to protect the profits they exact on the backs of developers and consumers under their app store monopoly,” the report said.

Others were even sharper with their criticism. Independent developer Aaron Vegh wrote on his blog that he had no clue whether the Vision Pro would succeed. 

“But can I say this out loud?” he wrote. “How great would it be for this to fail?”

Apple said earlier this month that it plans to have the $3,500 Vision Pro in stores on Feb. 2.

“This move is significant as the company ventures into the world of mixed reality, which combines virtual and augmented reality,” PYMNTS wrote last month. “While Meta Platforms currently dominates the market, Apple is determined to make a strong first impression with its offering.”

Apple last week announced the new entertainment experiences that will be available upon the Vision Pro’s release, saying the device will “turn any space into the ultimate personal theater.” 

The device integrates with the Apple TV app, the company said, letting users view series and films from Apple TV and Disney+ and sports from ESPN, NBA and Major League Baseball.