Netflix snubs Apple’s Vision Pro headset, won’t release dedicated app

Photo: Apple

Netflix won’t have a dedicated app for Apple’s Vision Pro headset, Bloomberg reports. The streaming giant has no plans to launch an app for the headset or make its iPad app compatible with it. This means users will have to watch Netflix in a web browser, reducing the immersion and quality of the movies or TV shows. It will also prevent offline viewing and limit the resolution, as Netflix’s web app depends on the browser.

Netflix has an app for Meta’s Quest headsets, but it is outdated. “Netflix can be enjoyed on the web browser on the Vision Pro, like on Macs,” Netflix spokesperson Kumiko Hidaka told The Verge. 

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Apple and Disney join forces to bring 3D content to the Vision Pro

Image: Disney

Apple and Disney have teamed up to bring 3D content from Disney Plus to the Vision Pro, Apple’s new mixed-reality headset. Disney Plus subscribers will also enjoy four exclusive animated screening environments featuring themes from Pixar (based on Monsters, Inc.), Marvel (the Avengers Tower from Marvel's Avengers films), and Star Wars (in a cockpit of a land speeder on Tatooine).

The Vision Pro will support a wide range of other apps, such as ESPN, MLB, PGA Tour, Max, Discovery Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, Crunchyroll, Red Bull TV, IMAX, TikTok, and MUBI. Netflix is notably absent from the list, but Apple says the existing app will work on the Vision Pro without any modifications.

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Apple Vision Pro launch pushed back to March 2024, says report

Apple

It looks like Apple is still working on the Apple Vision Pro, its first headset introduced at WWDC 2023. The company said it would ship in early 2024 but did not specify a date. According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the headset could be delayed until March 2024.

Gurman says that Apple is still finalizing the device testing and the distribution plans for the headset. The Apple Vision Pro will be very limited in availability, starting in the U.S. and expanding to other countries gradually.

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What you need to know about the Apple Vision Pro’s Eyesight feature and Persona Enrollment

M1 Astra / X

The Apple Vision Pro’s Eyesight feature lets you project your eyes on the front of the device, creating a more realistic and expressive VR experience. But this feature is not just for fun—at least, that's what we see from this video that surfaced on X detailing what else it can do. Eyesight supposedly also powers the Persona Enrollment feature, which allows you to customize and set up your virtual avatar via visionOS beta 6. 

The video posted by M1Astra on X shows how the front-facing cameras scan your face and capture your facial expressions to create a personalized VR persona. 

However, not everyone may want or need the Eyesight feature, which adds extra cost and complexity to the device. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering a cheaper version of the Vision Pro that would drop the external displays, cameras, and sensors, as well as use an iPhone chip instead of the MacBook chip. This would make the device more affordable and accessible, but also less immersive and interactive. 

If this version is in the works, we are left to wonder how Persona Enrollment would work on a headset like this. For now, what we are getting is the more premium US$3,500 (around CA$4,795) Vision Pro.

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