Much had been expected of the Apple Vision Pro. The reality, with the benefit of hindsight, is that whilst the product itself remains remarkable, it was too expensive for mainstream consumer take up, too heavy for comfortable continuous wear, and there has been a limited number of apps available. Production of new units has slowed down, and could be totally suspended in November 2024. It is estimated that sales will total 420,000 units in 2024, and Apple intends to develop a more affordable version that will be available by the end of 2025. In the meantime, here is a rundown of ten of the Fortune Global 500 companies that have developed a Vision Pro app.
Vision Pro Apps for Consumer Use
Walt Disney Company
This Disney+ Vision Pro app is designed with Reality Composer Pro, a tool that enables developers to create detailed 3D environments, showcasing Apple and Disney’s collaboration. Disney sees Vision Pro as a foundational step toward new storytelling formats, with plans to bring even more interactive features to this platform over time.
This early implementation has already generated excitement, particularly for its potential to create immersive environments tailored to Disney’s expansive IP library. Apple and Disney are expected to integrate virtual theme park experiences and enhanced movie viewing environments.
Gucci
Although ineligible for inclusion in the Fortune Global 500, we want to include Gucci’s acclaimed Vision Pro app. Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian communication theorist and philosopher who explored the impact of media on society, and coined the phrase “the medium is the message.” This phrase suggests that the medium itself, rather than solely the content it carries, helps shape the message and its impact on the audience. In a marketing context, this means that the choice of medium (e.g., television, radio, print, digital, etc) can significantly influence how the message is perceived and understood.
This appears to have been in mind when Gucci made its decision to publish an enhanced edition of “Who is Sabato De Sarno [the brand’s creative director]? A Gucci Story” exclusively on the Vision Pro. The intent was explained in a Forbes article, pointing out to its readers that “Gucci’s commitment to the Vision Pro is the latest move in a long-term strategy to position the brand at the forefront of technological innovation, specifically augmented reality.”
The app also allows users to virtually try-on accessories, watch Gucci fashion shows, play Gucci Arcade games, personalize products in the Gucci DIY section, discover the House’s signature bags through an immersive 3D experience, and enter special sections – such as Gucci Places to explore curious corners of the world, and Gucci Garden, designed with the creative spirit of the exhibit space in Florence.
Red Bull
Red Bull TV, available through its app, provides users with live stream and on-demand videos, movies and events from motorsport, mountain biking, snowboarding, and skiing, as well as climbing, gaming, dance, surfing, music and more. It is available as a Native App, which means it is an optimised app built specifically for the visionOS.
Apple Vision Pro’s 3D interface enhances Red Bull TV by layering 3D maps and other dynamic visual elements onto action scenes, such as during live races, creating a unique viewing experience that extends beyond traditional streaming. This adds a level of interactivity and realism for fans who want an up-close experience with extreme sports and events.
Media entertainment is a popular sector for native Vision Pro apps, and also includes Paramount Plus (the streaming platform of Paramount Global, which owns CBS and Showtime) and Amazon Prime Video from the Fortune 500.
There are no fitness apps for Vision Pro. Perhaps this is due to the relatively heavy 1.1 pound weight of the headset, plus the additional three-quarter pound weight of the necessary battery pack. The combined weight of 1.85 pounds is equivalent to 0.84 kg. There are also factors such as physical activity usually makes people sweat – which is not too comfortable when wearing a VR headset. Wearing a headset that isolates you from the world around you also requires carefully moving furniture out of the zone you will be exercising in, before you fall over it, break any of it, or damage yourself.
Vision Pro Apps for Professional and Commercial Use
Given the US retail price tag of $3,500, and a higher UK price of £3,500, several commentators reckoned the biggest users of VR and AR headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro would actually end up being business users, not consumers. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently accepted that it isn’t a mass market product.
This is echoed in an anecdotal comment on Reddit, which from a consumer perspective says: “Having the Vision Pro is equivalent to buying a beautiful house in the middle of the desert.” So let’s look first at some of the apps developed so far that are for professional/commercial use, rather than consumer.
Siemens Healthineers
In March 2024, Siemens Healthineers released their Cinematic Reality app. It allows surgeons and medical students, plus patients, to view realistic 3D holograms of human anatomy based on medical scans. This more realistic way of visualizing organs or body parts makes it possible to better explain clinical cases to patients, discuss clinical questions around referrals, and to educate medical students.
In the future, this could assist surgeons in pre-operative planning, facilitate interdisciplinary communication between specialists in different fields, or help non-radiologists and patients to better understand scans and conditions.
Epic Systems
Away from the medical frontline of operating theatres, health records company Epic swiftly released its Spatial Computing Concept that allows medical professionals to use hand gestures or virtual keyboards to manage patient records, chart notes, and secure communications. This app is designed for intuitive, gesture-based control in healthcare settings.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Apple Vision Pro enables enterprises to build experiences that weren’t possible before, like KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ Engine Shop app, which dramatically improves technical maintenance with spatial computing. In the Engine Shop app, KLM technicians and engineers can collaborate and manage complex aircraft maintenance projects in a 3D, augmented reality setting.
When it comes to aircraft maintenance, taking a plane offline for training can be costly and cause delays throughout the system. Engine Shop helps streamline inspections and repairs with greater precision and less downtime, preparing technicians to install equipment, teaching complex tasks that require hundreds of hours of hands-on work, and making training procedures more interactive and impactful is critical to employee success.
Porsche
The German luxury car maker Porsche, which operates as part of the Volkswagen Group, developed its Porsche Race Engineer app to provide an entirely new way for the Porsche team to collaborate. Race engineers are constantly making real-time decisions about everything from the performance of the car to the driver’s vitals. Apple Vision Pro helps engineers visualise car data in real time, bringing critical metrics like speed and braking alongside track conditions and car positioning, combined with live video from the car’s dashboard.
Porsche also use an Apple Vision Pro app for sales training purposes.
Box
Box has introduced its content cloud solution for Vision Pro, enabling businesses to experience enhanced content collaboration. Users can interact with documents, blueprints, and videos in immersive 3D environments, making it especially useful for sectors such as construction, retail, and education
BOLD Awards VI, 2025
The entry deadline for BOLD Awards VI has now closed. However, in addition to category finalists, non-entrants can request a VIP Invitation to attend the BOLD Awards gala dinner. These are strictly limited in number, and provide a rare opportunity to be part of a unique celebration to highlight and reward multiple forms of outstanding digital innovation. Network with some of the world’s finest innovators, entrepreneurs and disruptors, plus the category sponsors!
Winners will be announced to collect their awards at the gala dinner in Lisbon, Portugal, on Friday March 28th, 2025. This BOLD Awards VI edition is supported through strategic partnerships with APDC (Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications) and Unicorn Factory Lisboa, two prominent organizations dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurial success.
