Apple is expanding the Vision Pro developer labs to additional regions. This will allow more developers to try out the mixed-reality headset ahead of its launch in early 2024.
The Cupertino giant is opening new Vision Pro developer labs in New York, US, and Sydney, Australia.
Developers can test their Vision Pro apps in these labs
If you are a developer, you must apply for a Vision Pro lab appointment to try out the headset. If your application is accepted, you can visit the center, where Apple engineers will also be present so you can interact with them. This provides developers an excellent opportunity to test their visionOS apps on actual hardware and gain the necessary feedback.
“In these self-directed coding and design labs, you’ll be able to test and optimize your apps for visionOS. Bring your Mac, code, and everything you need to modify, build, run, and test your app on Apple Vision Pro. Apple experts will be available to help you with setup and troubleshooting,” says Apple.
Vision Pro launches in early 2024
Since July 2023, Vision Pro developer labs have been available in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo. So, unless you lived in one of these cities, you could not try Vision Pro. While the opening of two new test centers won’t change that dramatically, it should still benefit a small subset of developers, especially in the US. With time, it is possible that Apple will open more Vision Pro labs in the US.
In late August, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that developer interest in these test labs has been low. This could be attributed to only one Vision Pro lab being available in the US. To counteract the negativity though, Apple shared first impressions of developers after trying the Vision Pro later in the month.
The visionOS SDK has been available to developers since late June, allowing them to build apps for the upcoming mixed-reality headset. Apple has said the Vision Pro headset will go on sale in the US in early 2024.
