According to the company, Netflix has no plans to create a native version of the app for Vision Pro. bloombergMark Garman today power on Newsletter. Instead, the company will allow his existing iPad app to run on Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headsets without any changes, he said.
As Gurman’s article points out, developers who don’t want to build Vision Pro software from scratch have two options. Either run the iPad app as-is on the device or adapt it for Vision Pro. Netflix chose the former, but I’m not sure it’s clear.
Ultimately, what you need is stranger things Given that Apple’s Vision pro is basically the company’s first TV, it could be disappointing if running as an iPad app means Netflix has bugs or lacks features found in other native streaming apps. We reached out to Netflix for comment.
Garman wrote about Netflix’s lack of support in the context of the widespread problems Apple could have in getting a well-known developer to develop its Vision Pro headset, a device that amounts to an entirely new platform for the company. As he observes, that potential struggle includes the headset’s high starting price of $3,500, likely limited first-year sales, and the fact that third-party apps are already a problem for Meta, Apple’s main competitor in the space.
However, when the Vision Pro launches, the headset starts with a huge library of iPad apps that can run without modification. We also already know that Disney Plus is coming to this device. Disney’s streaming service was featured prominently in his WWDC 2023 keynote announcing Vision Pro. Gurman also points out that both Zoom and Microsoft are working on software for that.
He also speculates that the Vision Pro app will cost more than the iPhone and iPad apps. In fact, Gurman said the apps on the platform “wouldn’t be surprised if $20 is the most new he’s $1”, and prices for more professional apps he said could range from $50 to $250. This is by no means unheard of in the iOS app store, and not at all surprising in Vision Pro. His speculation that some games will cost him $40 to $60 is also unlikely, at least not initially, given that headset buyers are mostly early adopter tech enthusiasts.
