Apple Highlights Developer Reactions to Vision Pro Labs: 'Audible Gasp'

Last month, Apple began hosting Vision Pro developer labs in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo, allowing developers to get early hands-on time with the headset. The one-day labs enable developers to test and optimize their apps on visionOS, with Apple employees available to help with setup and troubleshooting.

Vision Pro lab
Apple today highlighted some positive reactions from developers who have attended the labs and had an opportunity to try on the Vision Pro.

"I'd been staring at this thing in the simulator for weeks and getting a general sense of how it works, but that was in a box," said David Smith, developer of the Widgetsmith app. "The first time you see your own app running for real, that's when you get the audible gasp."

Fantastical and Cardhop developer Michael Simmons described the Vision Pro labs as a "proving ground" for spatial computing. "Experiencing spatial computing not only validated the designs we'd been thinking about — it helped us start thinking not just about left to right or up and down, but beyond borders at all," he said.

Any registered Apple developer who is at least 18 years old can apply to attend a Vision Pro lab for free on Apple's website, with additional dates added through late September depending on the location. Developers must have a new visionOS app in active development, or an existing iPadOS or iOS app, and Apple says priority will be given to developers who are building apps that are specially optimized for the Vision Pro.

In early August, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he heard the labs had been "under-filled with small amounts of developers," but interest could improve as time goes on. There are no labs available on the East Coast of the U.S., and Apple is not paying for travel or accommodation expenses involved with attending.

Apple says the Vision Pro will launch in the U.S. in early 2024, and in additional countries later that year. The headset will be priced at $3,499.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
Apple Hornsby

Apple Store Near Sydney Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday July 14, 2025 6:14 pm PDT by
Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October. Apple Hornsby In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...

Top Rated Comments

vertsix Avatar
25 months ago
There was an audible gasp from me as well at the $3499 price tag.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
25 months ago
I thought they were referring to this gasp:

Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redman042 Avatar
25 months ago

Agreed. Vision Pro imo will see huge demand. $3500? A large screen OLED TV alone costs 2,000 and no one complains about that. Also that’s just one item that Vision Pro can replace and help you save. iPhone replaced so many things same will be for Vision Pro.
A TV benefits the whole household, and it's something we are all used to budgeting for once every decade or so.

A VR headset is a new device category for most, and only one person at a time can use it.

Very different use cases here.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tripsync Avatar
25 months ago
Can't wait for all the jokes relating to "gasping about the price"
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macpro2000 Avatar
25 months ago

There was an audible gasp from me as well at the $3499 price tag.
Not sure why. People that understand the price of current technology should realize it’s a great price.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
25 months ago
"The first time you see your own app running for real, that's when you get the audible gasp."

That also tends to happen with traditional 2D apps. ;)
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)