Apple kicks off blitz of worldwide visionOS developer events

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in Apple Vision Pro

Apple has kicked off a series of developer events centered around helping devs build visionOS apps and content for the Apple Vision Pro, including labs and a four-week workshop.

Apple Vision Pro staff meeting with developers in Cupertino. Credit: Todd Heberlein.
Apple Vision Pro staff meeting with developers in Cupertino. Credit: Todd Heberlein.



The series kicked off with a small-scale event focused on Apple Vision Pro and creating software and content for visionOS. The "Envision the Future: Build Great Apps for visionOS" event was held at the Apple Developer Center in Cupertino on October 2, 2024.

The all-day workshop covered design best practices, demonstrating best-in-class apps, and how to get started with SwiftUI, ARKit, RealityKit, and Reality Composer Pro. Apple staff were on hand to demonstrate, including writing code on the spot.

Network Security Monitor developer Todd Heberlein was among the attendees, and wrote a glowing report of the event. He called it a "cozy WWDC," and noted that 170 devs attended.

"The presenters were live. Many wrote code and showed the results live," Heberlein noted. "Sometimes demos didn't work the first time."

He called the event "fantastic" and said he hopes Apple will hold more events like it.

"Because the event centered on one topic and visionOS is a very new platform, all of us developers were in the same boat," Heberlein said. "How do I do this?' Have you tried that?' Though I'm socially awkward, I enjoyed every interaction with my fellow developers."

Developers attending the Cupertino event on October 2, 2024. Credit: Todd Heberlein
Developers attending the Cupertino event on October 2, 2024. Credit: Todd Heberlein

More visionOS events coming soon



Apple is kicking off a series of visionOS-related events in several locations, and taking a variety of approaches in getting developers up to speed on visionOS. The company has a series of half-day in-person labs that kicked off on September 25, and will run throughout October in Toronto, Canada.

There is also a four-week online workshop in Tokyo starting October 6. In addition, requests are now open for a 30-minute one-on-one online consultations on Apple Vision Pro being held across October 14 and 15.

The company is also holding two all-day developer lab events at the Apple Development Center in Shanghai, China on October 16. A second developer lab will be held on November 13.

For developers in Korea, a two-week set of labs on visionOS development will run in Seoul from October 23 to November 7.

One-on-one 30-minute online consultations for Chinese developers will be available on October 28 and 29. North American developers will get an additional chance for one-on-one online consultations on October 29.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    PemaPema Posts: 146member
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    9secondkox2Hazen
  • Reply 2 of 14
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,578member
    Pema said:
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    LOL.

    If Apple discontinued every product that didn't sell well on initial release, it would be a one-product company: the iPhone.

    You win today's RFDC award.
    ForumPostwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 14
    Yeah, wondering why this took the equivalent of a millenia to happen.  Quit dropping the ball and TALK TO DEVELOPERS APPLE.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 14
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,121member
    Pema said:
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    pretty much. 

    apple desperately tryin to revive interest and get developers to make it compelling. 
  • Reply 5 of 14
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,727member
    I can't figure out why the people who make the Virtual Reality "ABBA VOYAGE" experience aren't selling that 3D experience as an app for Apple Vision Pro. There are tens of millions of ABBA fans that would probably buy it, and the headset.
    chasmwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 14
    chasm said:
    Pema said:
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    LOL.

    If Apple discontinued every product that didn't sell well on initial release, it would be a one-product company: the iPhone.

    You win today's RFDC award.
    It’s funny, AVP is expected to sell between 400k-500k units this year. The iPod sold 400k in its first full year of being available. So are these people suggesting that was a flop as well? 
    chasmForumPostwilliamlondonmacguiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    hogmanhogman Posts: 25member
    I would love an app that could use your actual home to put together emergency planing and realistic training simulation scenarios. It could have amazing implication in survival preparedness and police/military training
    macguiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 14
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,578member
    hogman said:
    I would love an app that could use your actual home to put together emergency planing and realistic training simulation scenarios. It could have amazing implication in survival preparedness and police/military training
    That is exactly the kind of thing that corporations/police departments/DOD that buy AVPs are developing, but there's not one of those available for the public yet. It's a good idea though!
    williamlondonmacguiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 14
    HazenHazen Posts: 8member
    Desperate for a reason as to why Vision Pro should exist (other than to sell you a new platform you don’t need): Apple asks developers - What do? 
    edited October 6 williamlondon
  • Reply 10 of 14
    HazenHazen Posts: 8member
    Pema said:
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    The horse was cremated and everything and they popped the lid off like it’s a sugar dish.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 11 of 14
    thttht Posts: 5,663member
    Only a certain range of developers is important. Developers like MS, Adobe, Google, etc. Otherwise, the indie and small developers really aren't going to move without a bigger number of units.

    It really is up to Apple to move as many units as possible. Apple still has to put their own apps onto the VP. Pages and Numbers aren't available yet, right? Then FCP and LP need to be on it. Apple really needs to make iPhone mirroring available. I definitely think they should put Terminal.app and Xcode.app should be available.

    They should update the hardware to M4 and better cameras. Take the M2 model down to something like $2800.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 14
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,578member
    Hazen said:
    Desperate for a reason as to why Vision Pro should exist (other than to sell you a new platform you don’t need): Apple asks developers - What do? 
    You may find this difficult to believe, but ... companies often make products that aren't aimed specifically at you and your narrow interests. I know, wow, right?

    Headset computing has a lot of practical applications, which is why Microsoft, Meta, and Apple (among others) have jumped into that product development category. This site has already run stories about how the AVP is enhancing surgery by reducing distractions and providing surgeons with information (like BP, heart rate, etc) without them having to look away from what they are doing, just as one example. I certainly think it's the future of air traffic control (et al) as well.

    Apple certainly should have started holding these kinds of labs and workshops the day after the AVP shipped, but when Apple enters an entirely new product category, it tends to keep development in-house so as to not risk leaks. So not much in the way of advance info for developers, though in hindsight some topics at WWDC '23 were pointing in that direction.

    Apple and all the other tech companies can clearly see that augmented reality (in particular) and virtual reality and robotics and quantum computing are going to be growth areas in the future, so they are starting to build that future. That's how this works. Nobody who lived in the age where we all used candles indoors for evening illumination ever thought of creating an electrically-powered "everlasting" light source to replace them ... until one guy saw the future, figured out how to do it, and then built it.
    ForumPostwilliamlondonmacguiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 14
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,728member
    I think this product category is still evolving and it’s only a matter of time before one of the companies involved comes up with something analogous to the “Ford Model T” of headsets. Early automobiles were very expensive and basically unattainable by ordinary consumers. Part of the cost problem was related to each one being one-of-a-kind built by hand using a bunch of one-of-a-kind parts and components. However, the ones that were built at higher cost still advanced the state of the art in developing a whole new method of transportation and attracting the attention of potential buyers, most of whom could not afford to actually buy one.

    The Ford Model T dealt with the cost problem while also scaling back on the sophistication and craftsmanship compared to the more expensive models for the sake of affordability. The more expensive models didn’t go away completely and plenty of intermediates models came into being by taking advantage of some of the cost reduction methods used to make the Model T affordable while delivering some but not all of the qualities from the more expensive models.

    I can envision a similar pattern with VR/AR headsets. I believe all of the big players are looking to build something that closer to the Model T analogy (by 21st century standards) but they are not giving up on the higher end offerings because they still have customers who need what those models provide. The higher end models will continue to move up and the lower/middle end models will eventually move into new price points  while incorporating features previously exclusive to the high end models. 

    It’s easy to ask the question “Why not just start off by building the Model Ts to build a wider customer base?” In my opinion starting too low would stifle consumer expectations/demand because it would be harder for potential buyers to see the fuller potential of what these products can actually deliver. It’s hard to sell a limited function product where the bar is too low and all the seller can do is make a bunch of promises for what may be coming at some point in the future. It’s harder to sell potential buyers using paper and promises than it is to have a functioning product that already delivers on a lot of those promises now, even when the current cost/price is a barrier for many potential buyers.

    The Apple Vision Pro is setting the bar for AR/VR headsets where it needs for Apple to establish a path forward. Having a path in place will allow Apple to develop new models that expand the product line and deliver more affordable versions. The current Apple Vision Pro isn’t just paper and promises, it’s a real product that delivers a compelling feature set and establishes expectations for actual buyers and potential buyers.  Some potential buyers are waiting for a more affordable (and lightweight) model. Because we’re talking , “more affordable” will never equate to “cheap.” Other players will go after the “cheap.”
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 14
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,450member
    Pema said:
    Kicking a dead horse is what this is. 
    pretty much. 

    apple desperately tryin to revive interest and get developers to make it compelling. 
    Not at all. There's no dead horse here. It may be years before this sells units compared to initial and subsequent iPod and iPhone sales. But it will do well enough soon enough.

    Apple knew that going in or they'd have priced the Vision Pro cheaper than what is for some a heart stopping $3500. They knew this be have a slow-burn growth. I wish they'd started this dev program sooner just to shut up the trolls and wannabes. But they don't really matter. Trolls were thick when the iPod debuted but it was one of the best bleeding edge products I've ever owned. That and the iPhone.

    I got the 5GB iPod on day 2. Trolls whined about how expensive it was but said nothing about the competition's offers of next to nothing of features, navigation and capacity in comparison for almost the same money. Trolls gonna be trolls. So what if it never sells like the two other Apple Slow Burns. It's got a solid future even if detractors don't have the vision to see it.
    watto_cobra
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