Today (February 2) marks the official launch of the Apple Vision Pro, the company’s first foray into the headset market.
With Apple’s typically polished design (and astronomical price tag), the Vision Pro is a bold move by the company, but one it hasn’t made lightly, given its existing reach across mobile devices, computers and wearables.
Although designed (and marketed) as a primarily consumer-oriented device, it’s clear that the Apple Vision Pro could offer a number of benefits to business and enterprise users as well – and several major companies have already jumped on the bandwagon and their associated apps revealed.
Microsoft365
First up is Microsoft 365, or home to all your favorite workplace apps – such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and even Microsoft Teams will all be available on the Apple Vision Pro.
The headset will offer a variety of new tools for Microsoft’s apps, taking video conferencing in Teams to a new virtual level, but also allowing additional focus on the most important Word documents.
Microsoft says this move will also allow users to better visualize data such as charts in Excel spreadsheets, and help them practice PowerPoint presentations before speaking to an audience.
The apps are all supported by Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant, giving users smarter and more intuitive access to the files and information they need.
Zoom
If you’re looking for a slightly different approach to video conferencing, Zoom has also unveiled its app for the Apple Vision Pro, showing that virtual meetings and calls will become a major use case for the headset.
Zoom says the Apple Vision Pro app will help colleagues and colleagues in different locations feel much closer to each other, improving collaboration and connection.
But it will also include a number of new features designed specifically for the Apple Vision Pro, such as the Personas feature to provide an “authentic” view of users on the call – including replicating facial and hand movements – and the ability to share 3D objects in much more detail, giving a new perspective on items.
TeamViewer
TeamViewer may be more of a common part of remote IT support and updates, but the company is making an effort to take it a significant step further with the launch of its TeamViewer Spatial Support app for Apple Vision Pro.
Currently in beta, the app lets a user with an iPhone work with a third-party expert equipped with an Apple Vision Pro to guide them through the steps needed to repair broken or defective machines.
The TeamViewer Spatial Support app uses ARKit and a built-in LiDAR scanner to capture a detailed 3D model of the device needing support, which is shared with the remote expert for a synchronized 3D experience.
Box
Online content storage service Box may sound like an unlikely partner for the Apple Vision Pro, but the company says its app can offer users a range of new ways to interact with their files.
This includes possible scenarios such as a retailer using Apple Vision Pro to see what a storefront might look like to customers through a design proposal in Box, or a construction company virtually visiting a construction site to see what a project might look like using using blueprint files or progress images stored in Box.
Box also says its app can use Siri’s dictation tool in addition to hand and eye gestures to navigate the app to track down the files you need, which can then be placed on your own “infinite desktop” for clearer views and better multitasking .