Apple today announced that it is expanding its Vision Pro developer labs to New York City, New York and Sydney, Australia to give developers additional locations where the new headset can be tested with their apps.
Vision Pro developer labs first launched in August, giving developers a chance to try out the Vision Pro headsets to refine visionOS apps ahead of when the device launches next year.
The first Vision Pro developer labs were limited to Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo, meaning some developers had to travel long distances if they wanted to be able to try the Vision Pro in person. Apple was criticized for only offering one Vision Pro test spot in the United States, for example, as people from the east coast were required to travel all the way to Cupertino.
With a Vision Pro developer lab now in New York, developers on the east coast of the United States will not need to travel as far, nor will developers in Australia. Any developer can apply to attend a Vision Pro lab, but Apple is not reimbursing for travel.
At the Vision Pro developer labs, developers are provided with hands-on time with the Vision Pro headset as well as help from Apple engineers. The labs provide opportunities for testing and optimization for visionOS apps.
Apple has also sent Vision Pro developer kits to some developers, but the developer kits are available in limited quantities and Apple is prioritizing apps that best take advantage of the Vision Pro features and capabilities.
Developers still have several months to work on visionOS apps before the headset launches, as it is set to come out in early 2024 in the United States.
