Netflix doesn’t plan to make an original Vision Pro app yet

Netflix does not plan to create an original version of its app for Vision Pro, according to the company bloombergMark Gorman today employment the news. Instead, he says, the company will allow its existing iPad app to run, unmodified, on Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset.

As Gurman’s article points out, developers who don’t want to build Vision Pro from the ground up have two options: allow their iPad apps to run as-is on the device or modify them for Vision Pro. Netflix chose the former, though we don’t know, whether that’s obvious or not.

The iPad app might be good enough – we’ll have to see – after all, if all you want is a big rectangle with Weird things Perched in front of you, the lack of local support shouldn’t be a big problem? But since Apple’s Vision pro is primarily its first TV, it could also be a disappointment if running as an iPad app means Netflix has bugs or missing features that other native streaming apps might have. We have reached out to Netflix for comment.

Gurman writes about Netflix’s lack of support in the context of a broader issue Apple could face in getting high-profile developers to develop for its Vision Pro headphones, a device that amounts to an entirely new platform for the company. As he notes, factors contributing to this potential conflict include the headset’s high starting price of $3,500, its likely limited sales numbers for the first year, and the fact that third-party apps were already a problem for Meta, Apple’s main competitor in the field.

However, when the Vision Pro launches, it will start with a huge library of iPad apps, which the headphones can run unchanged. Also, we already know Disney Plus is coming to the device — Disney’s streaming service was featured heavily at WWDC 2023 to announce the Vision Pro — and Gurman notes that Zoom and Microsoft have committed to developing software for them.

Vision Pro apps are also expected to cost more than their iPhone and iPad counterparts. Much more, in fact—Gorman says he “wouldn’t be surprised if $20 is $1 new for most” apps on the platform, and that more pro apps could cost between $50 and $250. This is far from unheard of in the iOS App Store, and it wouldn’t be surprising on the Vision Pro at all. Nor was his speculation about some of the $40-$60 games, at least in the beginning, when headset buyers are often early tech enthusiasts.