Apple on Wednesday released the visionOS SDK, a set of tools that will enable developers to build apps for the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset. The Cupertino company’s first spatial computer will go on sale in the US next year and Apple is providing app developers with the tools required to build apps for the device. Unlike other Apple products, the company’s upcoming mixed reality headset will use a combination of three different modes of interaction using a person’s eyes, hands, and voice. The visionOS SDK will allow developers to tailor their apps around this functionality while making use of the specialised hardware on the device.
The company announced on the Apple Developer website that the visionOS SDK is now available to developers. In order to create spatial computing apps for the Apple Vision Pro, developers will have to download Xcode 15 Beta 2 that includes the latest visionOS SDK along with a tool to visualise and preview 3D content for the headset called Reality Composer Pro.
Developers will be able to use a simulator for visionOS, which will let them interact with their apps as they are built, while also testing how they will appear in different lighting conditions or in a variety of room layouts, according to Apple. The SDK will let users port an existing app project for the headset, or allow them to create a new application from the ground up.
Apple’s visionOS will allow developers to display apps on a large canvas
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple also stated that it will open labs where developers can test their apps on the Apple Vision Pro, starting in July. These developer labs will be set up in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo. The company’s engineers will also be available to provide support to developers looking to create applications for the Vision Pro headset.
Meanwhile, the company will also open up applications for Apple Vision Pro developer kits. Instead of testing at the company’s developer labs, these kits will allow app creators to build their apps and test them at a faster rate on the mixed reality headset. However, there’s no word from Apple on whether these developer kits will only be available to developers in the US, or the criteria for applying to receive these kits.
Announced by Apple at WWDC 2023 earlier this month, the Apple Vision Pro is the firm’s first mixed reality headset that supports both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. It is controlled with a user’s hands, voice, and eyes. The device also features Apple’s EyeSight technology allowing a user to be aware of their surroundings. Apple’s Vision Pro will also feature support for optical inserts for users who require vision correction, and the prescription lenses will be available when the headset goes on sale in the US next year.