The web is the first killer app of the Vision Pro

How Does the App Store Play its Role in the Development of the Vision Pro Platform? A View from the Quasi-Analytic Viewpoint

A powerful, deeply integrated desktop-class browser will make the Vision Pro useful and powerful from day one. Apple should allow other desktop-class browsers and treat the Vision Pro like a power user platform. No one has yet seen enough of Safari for visionOS to know if it is all of those things, though — and I’m not sure whether Apple wants it to be. Is protecting the sanctity of its App Store control at all costs more important than getting the Vision Pro off to a good start? I’m not sure if Apple will be able to have a platform shift to face computers both ways.

Historically, Apple is unmatched in its ability to get app makers to keep up with its newest stuff. A lot of the features of the App Store are released within a few weeks. But so far, developers appear to be taking their Vision Pro development slowly. Exactly why varies across the App Store, but there are a bunch of good reasons to choose from. It is a new platform with new ideas for the user interface and a lot of concerns about the device, it will be difficult for a lot of people to use it. It doesn’t mean you can port your iPad app to Vision Pro, but that is something you can do if you tick a box.

You’d think the recent end to the Apple / Epic dispute would have made things better since Apple was required to allow developers to link out to other places users can pay for apps. Even if someone clicks a link on the web and subscribes to Apple, the developers still owe the company a commission. It is 27 percent instead of 30 but that is not likely to make people change their minds. The message from Apple was clear, if you sell a product through the App Store, Apple will get one of two things.

The Future of the Internet is Coming: Why Smartphones and Web Applications are Better than App Stores (and Why) They Shouldn’t

If you believe the open web is a good thing, and that developers should spend more time on their web apps and less on their native ones, this is a big win for the future of the internet. (Disclosure: I believe all these things.) The problem is, it’s happening after nearly two decades of mobile platforms systematically downgrading and ignoring their browsing experience. Homescreen bookmarks are only a small way to access web apps that don’t have access to offline modes, cross-app collaboration or some of your phone’s other built-in features. You can’t easily run browser extensions on mobile browsers due to all this time. It is difficult to stay connected to services on the web using different apps, because Apple makes it so difficult. Mobile platforms treat browsers the same way they treat app platforms.

There are some reasons for hope, though: Apple recently added multiple profiles, external webcam support on the iPad, and a few other features to Safari, which at least shows Apple is aware Safari exists and is willing to give it access to some native features. For a long time it felt like Apple would happily ditch Safari altogether, if given the chance, even though it tightly controls everything about its platforms and the web is uncontrollable. But the company appears to be still invested in making Safari work. (All the Safari-focused antitrust pressure is probably helping move things along, too.)