Apple’s next leap in computing rests on its Vision Pro headset and the apps people have to use with it. The company shouldn’t forget about some of its more boring ones — those could end up being the most fun.
When the Apple Vision Pro debuted, presenters used time WWDC to mostly focus on productivity and content uses for its headset. It didn’t even mention Fitness+ at all.
Apple will surely show off more apps for its spatial computing device, but it shouldn’t forget some of its less obvious choices to make the headset feel robust and complete. Even though not all apps make sense for the headset, most just need the right context.
Apple Music, already shown on the Home View, will be present but doesn’t have to be straightforward and boring. It can be clever about how people interact with its experience. Apple has a chance to create fully immersive apps in unexpected ways.
Apple Music Listening Room
Apple should expand its Music app’s capability and turn it into a full VR experience — as an option for those who want it.
A full virtual Apple Music listening room that looks like a vinyl record store, dim lounge, or poster-clad bedroom could be an intriguing place to zone out and listen to music. Just like Cover View was a fun fullscreen viewing experience to flip through music albums, Apple Music Listening Room could be that same whimsical delight for spatial computing.
Karaoke shown being used on Apple TV
Apple Music can merely be a regular, boring, app inside a window and still get plenty of use alongside Safari and other tasks, but it should go further too.
An Apple Music listening room could be multi-faceted. It could be for meditation and relaxation, but an Apple Music listening room could also finally be Apple’s second coming of Ping which was Apple’s attempt to make iTunes a social network.
If Apple Music did dive into the VR space, the Sing karaoke feature seems perfect for a headset. The person wearing Vision Pro could be on a virtual stage with song lyrics placed anywhere in the room they want.
Find My
Looking for misplaced AirPods Pro 2 or an item with AirTag attached might not be the killer Vision Pro app, but it is a perfect augmented reality use.
Finding an AirTag on an iPhone
Currently, Apple’s ideal scenario for finding something on the Find My network is pointing your iPhone around the house while it shows an arrow with the distance to it.
A Find My app on Vision Pro could lay down arrows on the floor itself and point to couch cushions, closet doors, or other areas to show exactly where lost items reside.
While not a specific app, hopefully, Apple will bring widgets to Vision Pro. There are so many bits of useful information that don’t need full-blown windows.
Widgets shown on iPhone in StandBy
Once Apple found its groove and put widgets on the iPhone’s Lock Screen it started bringing them to more areas for iPad and Macs. Vision Pro should absolutely get widgets too.
Apple Music could surely benefit from having a widget, for the times you’re not in a virtual Apple Music listening room that looks like a scene from “High Fidelity.”
Plus, if a developer has already made any widget already, it would afford them a simple path to getting some software onto the headset.
Weather Environment
Environments on the Vision Pro are different virtual surroundings to retreat to. One example Apple showed off was Mount Hood. Instead of a full Weather app, the local weather could be an Environment that you spin the Digital Crown to enable.
Apple Weather app on iPhone
You might not need a dedicated Weather app or even a widget if you could get subtle weather cues like rain droplets, clouds, or sun rays in whichever room you’re using Vision Pro.
An augmented weather environment on Vision Pro could turn out to be gimmicky, but there’s a chance contextual info presented as an Environment could be tasteful and neat.
Apple Maps Explorer
Flyover Tours on iPhone
Google Earth was a time suck for so many people when it was first released. If you’re going to go down a rabbit hole, however, there are worse ways to spend time than learning about different cities and areas of the world.
Apple Maps is beautifully designed and has a lot of 3D elements to it. From Look Around to Flyover Tours there are lots of ways to get sucked into a Maps app, even if it isn’t augmented use on the streets yet.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
