Apple Vision Pro: Everything Businesses Need to Know

You’ve been thinking about Apple’s new Vision Pro headset wrong. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s heavy. Yes, it’s hard to get your hands on. These are roadblocks for consumers. That’s the point—it isn’t made for the collective “us” (yet).

Vision Pro is made for businesses. From vertical competitors to price points, Apple is setting itself up as a strong B2B rival, brushing up against existing mixed-reality manufacturers and product teams alike. We’ll walk you through key features, comparisons to top competitors, and how your business can leverage visionOS sooner rather than later. Want to jumpstart R&D on new Vision Pro features for your app? We’ve got insights on that too.

Not a headset—a mixed reality, spatial computer

Vision Pro is being marketed as more than a headset, with Apple preferring to call it a “spatial computer”. At its core, Vision Pro hopes to replace your MacBook, iPhone, and iPad—combining the best of all those technologies into a multi-processor, sensor-rich, single device, that provides extended and interactive mixed reality experiences. Unlike other headsets, users can see through the screen. This allows you to seamlessly interface with both physical and digital objects, in real-time, while also interacting with other humans without needing to remove the headset.

This widens potential use cases for Vision Pro, expanding possible applications—ranging from entertainment to enterprise.

Apple’s spatial computer delivers a more hybrid experience than previous virtual reality, VR, or augmented reality, AR, devices. Vision Pro’s focus on mixed reality, MR or XR, means that virtual elements can be overlaid on physical spaces and that those elements can interact with the space, one another, and users. This widens potential use cases for Vision Pro, expanding possible applications—ranging from entertainment to enterprise.

How do user interactions work?

VisionOS includes both eye-tracking and hand-tracking technology, allowing users to interact with virtual elements in three dimensions. For example, with just their eyes, users can stare at a link to perform a virtual click or scroll through content at a comfortable reading pace. A virtual keyboard can be used to input text, a variety of gestures come built-in via SwiftUI, and custom gestures can be added, via Apple’s ARKit framework. Additionally, compatible Bluetooth accessories can be used effortlessly thanks to Vision Pro’s hybrid screen.

Several demos have shown these features in action, with eye tracking being a stand-out feature. A first-hand account from, Engadget’s Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low, explains how the interface is made to adapt to your surroundings on demand,

The more I focused on my gaze on [a person]…the more distinct their outline became, until their entire body just materialized in the virtual environment.

Drilling down, you can use flagship entertainment apps available at launch, like Disney+, to not only watch 3D movies set in virtual 3D environments but also interact with your environment without worrying about spilling your popcorn.

How does Vision Pro stack up to competitors?

Based on price point, tech specs, and release date Vision Pro’s closest competitor is the Magic Leap 2 headset. The big difference between Vision Pro and Magic Leap devices is how you experience reality when you use them. Vision Pro offers an MR experience, whereas Magic Leap offers an AR experience—each offering unique use cases.

Other devices in the vertical include the HoloLens 2, built by Microsoft. HoloLens plays in the same space as Magic Leap with a B2B focus, but given its uncertain future and aging tech stack, it’s not as direct of a comparison. Microsoft has also collaborated with Trimble on a HoloLens 2 made specially for use on “safety-controlled sites” (i.e. industrial construction and the like), further cementing its enterprise focus.

There’s also the Quest Pro 3. Created by Meta, it builds on Oculus’s gaming-centric focus (Meta acquired Oculus in 2014). Meta’s lower price point reflects their consumer focus too, Mark Zuckerberg has said this is part of Meta’s “ democratic ethos”. In contrast, analysts have suggested that the hardware was meant to act as a loss leader, suggesting that software sales were meant to generate the majority of revenue attributed to the device.

B2B applications for mixed-reality

Since it’s launch in 2010, Magic Leap has been focused on B2B use cases, offering several technical applications as examples in their marketing kits and press releases. Their focus on AR in business settings is well suited to engineering, architecture, manufacturing and medical uses—think operator training, remote collaboration, or assembly instruction. Being able to overlay information in a real-world setting intuitively makes sense for a lot of technical work. Imagine being able to see how pieces of an airplane fit together as you assemble them. Practicality defined.

Apple acts as both a B2B and a B2C company, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the majority of their early Vision Pro sales come from corporate accounts.

Swift developers could create specialized Vision Pro versions of iOS apps that would compete directly with Magic Leap’s Android-based apps. This is a major area of opportunity, especially for iOS apps that already offer technical solutions. It should also be noted that most iOS apps should be able to run on Vision Pro at launch. The real opportunity here is to extend and increase app usefulness using Vision Pro’s innovative functionality and rich tech stack.

Consumer-facing press releases and marketing efforts for Vision Pro haven’t shown as many of these workplace or office applications, but Apple has addressed them in various announcements and demos over the last year. Apple acts as both a B2B and a B2C company, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the majority of its early Vision Pro sales come from corporate accounts. Only time will tell, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this was their plan all along.

Vision Pro comparison chart

*At the time of publishing this article, measured in USD.
**Varies by device and use case. Vision Pro tested with “general use”, Quest 3 tested with gameplay, Magic Leap 2 tested with “continuous use”, and HoloLens 2 tested with “active use”.

What’s next for Vision Pro

Rumors about the “next-gen” Vision Pro have been circulating almost since its announcement. Given its debut price point, this isn’t surprising. To generalize, most speculation is around the creation and release of a more affordable version of the device, making it more attainable for the average consumer.

...big players don’t [always] have apps optimized for Vision Pro…there’s potential for a power vacuum...

Some flagship companies like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify have said their apps won’t be available on Vision Pro and are instead directing customers to use the browser versions of their apps. Will these companies take a 180° if the MR market shows revenue potential for Vision Pro specific apps? It’s hard to say.

Here lies the opportunity for smaller digital product companies. As long as these big players don’t have apps optimized for Vision Pro then, depending on demand, there’s potential for a power vacuum. Could we see our first viral MR app in the next year? With the rise of more affordable devices that possibility seems more and more likely.

Future-proofing your app, the MR shift

While we initially expect B2B uses to be somewhat common, there are a ton of consumer use cases for Vision Pro too: streaming, gaming, and socializing among them. Now that MR technology is available to the public there’s an increased demand for both devices and apps.

While Apple is busy optimizing Vision Pro for its next generation of users, businesses can work on creating new in-app experiences. R&D, prototyping, and launching high-quality apps takes time. Product teams can start building now though, even without owning a Vision Pro. Thanks to spatial design updates and new best practices added to Apple’s Human Interface Guideline, UIKit, and Xcode it’s never been easier to design and develop for MR experiences.