Apple Vision Pro headsets are available for pre-order in the US on Friday, just after the product was proverbially slapped in the face by Google, Spotify, and Netflix.
Google’s YouTube said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg that it won’t launch a new app for Apple’s Vision OS, and its iPad app won’t be available on the mixed-reality headsets either. Spotify and Netflix also said this week that they weren’t planning to have new apps for Vision Pro.
This means the immersive streaming experiences that the headsets offer — Vision Pro’s whole shtick, essentially — won’t work on Vision OS for some of the most popular applications. Instead, users will have to stream Spotify, Netflix, and YouTube content through Safari. Meanwhile, Google’s plans to develop its own augmented reality headset with Samsung and Qualcomm have faced setbacks.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple has said that more than 1 million apps will be available on Vision Pro. Some of the top offerings are Disney+, Max (formerly HBO Max), Slack, and Microsoft 365 Vision OS apps.
While the product officially launches on Feb. 2, preorders in the US began at 8 a.m. eastern time on Friday for $3,499 — a staggering price tag that just might work for Apple because, well, it’s Apple. Whether it’s worth the sticker price remains to be seen, but experts who’ve tried the device have been impressed by the speed of its features.
Victoria Song of The Verge said the Vision Pro offers “a higher-resolution version of what Meta is trying to accomplish with the Quest but with a vastly more powerful M2-based computer,” while Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal noted “how easy and natural it is to navigate with just hand movements.” But it’s also been described as bulky and heavy, with its accompanying battery pack.