Apple has confirmed that it will start selling the much-awaited Vision Pro headset in the consumer markets starting February 2, 2024. The headset is expected to give a massive push to the struggling VR-AR industry. However, a new report by Bloomberg suggests that Apple’s Vision Pro will not support media streaming apps such as YouTube and Netflix.
In a statement given to The Verge, YouTube’s spokesperson Jessica Gibby says users will be able to watch YouTube videos in the Vision Pro using the Safari browser. However, the headset will not have a native YouTube app for VisionOS at the time of launch.
Netflix is also on the same path, where their spokesperson Kumiko Hidaka has said that Apple’s Vision Pro users can stream content using any web browser, similar to using Netflix on Macs. The company did not share any plans to develop a separate app for the headset.
Spotify has also not shown any interest in the Vision Pro. However, the music streaming platform has not denied it either. Spotify’s PR Head Grey Munford says that the company has not made any decision about Apple’s headset.
Although Apple says that the Vision Pro will have support for 3D movies, the list of supported apps is currently limited to Apple TV, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and a few other platforms. The exclusion of YouTube and Netflix will be a problem for the headset, as they are two of the most popular entertainment platforms in the world.
Apple’s Vision Pro will support two types of applications. The first category includes apps that are specially developed for VisionOS. The second category is iPad OS apps that will run in compatibility mode on the headset. Hence, it is possible that there might be some workarounds to get Netflix and YouTube apps running on the Vision Pro.
It is worth noting that YouTube and Netflix both have dedicated apps for the Meta Quest VR headsets. Although these apps are not as refined as the mobile version, the sheer presence of a separate app makes it so much easier for users to directly stream content, instead of firing up a web browser.
It will be interesting to see how Apple handles the app compatibility situation of the Vision Pro. It’s a visionary product for not just Apple, but the entire VR and AR industry (Maybe that’s why Apple named it the Vision Pro). For context, VR headset sales saw a decline of 29% in Q3 2023 marking their lowest-ever quarterly volume, reports Counterpoint Research. Meta and Sony, the current market leaders in this segment have not witnessed growth as they initially expected.
Apple is known to disrupt the market and create entirely new market segments. We have already seen how the company popularized the concept of TWS earbuds with its AirPods. The Apple Watch is also the best-selling smartwatch in the world. Hence, companies like Meta, Sony, and HTC want the Vision Pro to succeed, in order to revive this segment.
