Apple Opens Up SDK For Vision Pro App Developers
Apple Opens Up SDK For Vision Pro App Developers
With the release of Apple Vision Pro, the company is now setting up a dedicated app ecosystem for the VR/AR device. Apple today announces the visionOS SDK is now available for developers to tap into in the development of their apps.
In the coming July, Apple will open developer labs in locations including Cupertino (US, Apple HQ), London (UK), Munich (Germany), Shanghai (China), Singapore, and Tokyo (Japan) to enable opportunities for app developers to test their apps on the actual hardware and get support from Apple’s engineers. Developers teams can also apply for developer kits to assist in app development.
“Apple Vision Pro redefines what’s possible on a computing platform. Developers can get started building visionOS apps using the powerful frameworks they already know, and take their development even further with new innovative tools and technologies like Reality Composer Pro, to design all-new experiences for their users,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.
“By taking advantage of the space around the user, spatial computing unlocks new opportunities for our developers, and enables them to imagine new ways to help their users connect, be productive, and enjoy new types of entertainment. We can’t wait to see what our developer community dreams up.”
While visionOS is indeed an operating system designed for VR/AR devices, much of the codebase is similar to other OSes that Apple maintains. That means existing coding frameworks such as Xcode, SwiftUI, RealityKit, ARKit and TestFlight will work right away, and developers simply needs to adapt the app into the 3D-based workspace environment, with the help of new Xcode tool, Reality Composer Pro.
The visionOS SDK, Xcode, visionOS Simulator and Reality Composer Pro are now available for Apple Developer Program members; developers can apply for a developer kit starting next month by clicking the link here.
Pokdepinion: By the looks of it, it does look like Microsoft’s Hololens is the competition here.
