Apple’s Vision Pro is just days away from landing on people’s heads, with many speculating about how much of a success — or not — the tech giant might bring to its most prominent product launch in years.
A key factor is expected to be the level of interest developers show in creating custom apps for the mixed reality headset, with some major platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube choosing to hold back from offering custom apps.
But the big boost came on Wednesday when Microsoft announced that its 365 productivity apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop, along with its AI companion Copilot, would be available on Vision Pro on Friday. App store.
It’s important to note that these aren’t simple ports of existing apps, rather they’ve been designed from the ground up to take advantage of some of the features offered by Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
For example, PowerPoint’s own immersive environment lets you practice your presentation as if you were in front of an audience.
Excel, on the other hand, can be used with Vision Pro’s so-called “infinite canvas,” which moves digital content away from the traditional 2D setup and allows you to treat it as if it were part of your physical space.
When it comes to Word, Vision Pro’s immersive experience and Word’s focus mode allow you to block out distractions so you can properly immerse yourself in the document you’re working on.
Similar to Zoom for Vision Pro, you can make video calls in Teams with the Vision Pro headset. Other participants in the call will see a digital avatar of your entire face based on the scan, a feature enabled by Vision Pro’s persona tool.
You can also access AI-powered Copilot services through an Apple headset and use natural voice commands to draft documents, make edits and summaries, and more.
“At Microsoft, we’re committed to providing our customers with great Microsoft 365 services on their favorite platforms and devices,” wrote Microsoft’s Gabriel Valdez Malpartida. contribution announcing the news. “We’ve worked closely with Apple for many years to bring unbeatable experiences to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Now, with Apple Vision Pro, these applications take advantage of the infinite canvas of spatial computing and can appear side by side at any scale for incredible multitasking.