Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro AR/VR headset will launch on February 2nd with a bunch of dedicated Microsoft 365 apps, including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Loop.
Since Apple bills the Vision Pro as mainly a productivity device, having Microsoft’s suite makes sense for getting work done. These aren’t just quick ports of iPad apps either. Many have custom features for the headset.
For example, PowerPoint has an immersive environment to practice delivering presentations to a simulated audience. Excel lets you quickly move documents around using the headset’s pinch and drag controls. Word includes a focus mode to block distractions so you can finally finish that novel idea.
Teams takes advantage of the Vision Pro’s digital personas, so your avatar can weird everyone out by attending meetings. The Zoom app will have this same uncanny valley feature too.
You’ll also get Microsoft’s AI Copilot service to conversationally create documents and presentations with natural voice commands.
The Microsoft apps will be available on launch day from the official App Store. With uncertainty around what media apps like Netflix and YouTube won’t be ready, it’s good early adopters will have productive tools beyond just Apple’s own apps.
The Vision Pro needs strong app support to justify its expensive price for consumers. Partnering with Microsoft checks that box and brings some of the most widely-used productivity software to the device on day one. While gaming and entertainment remains a question mark, you’ll at least be able to get work done with the full Office suite at your virtual fingertips.
Rather than purely Apple-centric, the Vision Pro’s Microsoft integration hints at a collaborative future for AR/VR headsets if this launch partnership pays dividends.
