Apple Vision Pro headset

Only 150+ apps have been designed specifically for Apple's Vision Pro, so far

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Apple Vision Pro headset

Image Credits: Brian Heater

It’s not just Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube that don’t have apps for Apple’s Vision Pro at launch. New App Store data indicates the new mixed reality headset and Apple’s foray into virtual reality has so far seen only a tepid response from app developers. As of this weekend, the AR/VR device’s App Store has just 150+ apps that were updated for the Vision Pro explicitly, according to data from market intelligence firm Appfigures — a sliver of the App Store’s 1.8 million apps.

That’s not the number of apps available, to be clear.

The Vision Pro is theoretically compatible with iOS and iPad apps, unless a developer opts out. But it is indicative of how many companies rushed to build for the new platform, specifically — and given the size of Apple’s wider developer base, it’s a smaller number.

There are several reasons why developers may not be customizing their apps or building new ones just for Apple’s latest platform, including a limited supply of Vision Pro headsets for testing and an understanding that the market opportunity for their apps may be small for some time, thanks to the device’s hefty price point of $3,499 and up, depending on storage size. Developers may also be struggling with translating their small, touchscreen-optimized apps to a different sort of computing environment.

Still, one can’t overlook the negative sentiment that Apple has stoked among its developer community after the fallout of Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant. Though Apple largely won the case, as the court ruled it was not a monopolist, it did require that Apple modify its App Store rules to allow developers to point to other means of purchasing subscriptions and other in-app purchases via their own websites. Apple rather maliciously complied with the ruling, tacking on a number of other caveats and guidelines around who can apply for this “exception” to its App Store rules and how the link is to be implemented within their apps, right down to the language developers can use.

The company also said it would only reduce commissions down to 27% from 30%, making the option a non-starter for many app makers, given that credit card processing fees could be even higher than the 3% discount.

This developer-hostile attitude could have a chilling effect on Apple’s wider developer community — a community that had previously rushed to embrace Apple’s new platforms, despite diminishing returns. The Apple iMessage App Store never fully took off, for example, having faced discoverability challenges due to its placement in the iMessage app drawer. Meanwhile, the watchOS App Store has seen several high-profile departures following its launch, including the removal of top apps from Meta, Slack, Uber, and Twitter.

With Vision Pro, Apple rivals like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify have chosen not to build for Apple’s latest platform, as the Cupertino tech giant increasingly competes in their same markets with its own video and music streaming services. Meta, which makes its own VR headset, has also unsurprisingly opted not to specifically build native apps for the Vision Pro, Appfigures’ list reveals. (Its apps are also not yet compatible, reports MacStories).

That’s not to say there’s nothing for Vision Pro users to do with their new headset at launch. Apple has said that the Vision Pro will allow users to download and stream content from Disney+, ESPN, MLB, PGA Tour, Max, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, Crunchyroll, Red Bull TV, IMAX, TikTok and MUBI. Apple’s own apps are also available, as others you may know like Temu, Uber/Uber Eats, Tinder, Notion, CNN, Washington Post, Reddit, Discord and more.

Plus, Appfigures reveals a few other big brands and popular apps that have been built for Vision Pro specifically, including Box, Carrot Weather, Webex, Zoom, Fantastical, and others. Many, however, were not household names.

Several more have opted out, meaning they don’t have the “compatible” flag, Appfigures tells us. This includes apps like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Meet, Chrome, Google Home, Roku, Pandora, DoorDash, Amazon, Candy Crush, Bumble, Nike, Nest, and more. That could change in time.

Apple told developers their existing iPhone and iPad apps would be made available to Vision Pro users automatically unless the developer edits their apps’ availability in App Store Connect. This is possible because the apps for Vision Pro run natively and “use the same frameworks, resources, and runtime environment as they do on iOS and iPadOS,” an Apple support document explains.

Likely, many app developers are just allowing their existing apps to be ported over until the Vision Pro has a big enough user base to warrant the extra attention.

Update, 1/23/24: More apps built specifically for the Vision Pro are starting to launch, though they were not available at the time of writing. Today, the number is up to 196.

Netflix confirms it won’t have a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro

I spent the morning with the Apple Vision Pro

Samsung’s EX1 wearable robot is designed to improve mobility in older adults

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Image Credits: Sahmyook University College of Health Science

Sahmyook University this week showcased some of the ongoing work the Seoul-based research institute is doing with Samsung on the robot exosuit front. There aren’t a ton of details surrounding EX1 (not to be confused with an old Samsung digital camera by the same name) at the moment, but there are some promising results here.

I tend to be wary when consumer electronics corporations dip their toes into the world of robotics. The category offers an attention-grabbing shorthand for companies attempting to bolster their future outlook. More often than not, the systems rolled out on-stage are little more than vaporware.

Samsung has mostly played it close to the belt when discussing their robotics ambitions. Sure, Ballie may actually launch somewhere down the road, but what of those more advanced dishwashing and food preparing robots? I’m certainly not holding my breath.

Back in 2019, the company showcased a trio of robots at CES. The wearable exoskeleton was the most compelling of the bunch for two main reasons. First, it’s a realistic product. After all, there are already a number of these solutions on the market. Second, they had working units at the event. I tried one on, and it did, indeed assist me while walking up stairs in the company’s booth.

The hip-worn EX1 falls squarely in the growing category of robotic age-tech. As you get older, muscle mass tends to decline, impacting your walking and increasing the risk of falls. The device is designed specifically to enhance balance and movement.

“Using the wearable robot EX1, older adults can effectively perform simple exercises such as walking and fitness, thereby improving their quality of life,” says research lead, Professor Wan-hee Lee. “EX1 can increase their participation in exercise and serve as a guideline for exercising the right way.”

 

As noted, the device is designed for both assistive wear and guided exercises. Per the study, stride length improved by more than 12%, while propulsion increased around 21% in subjects who wore EX1 for 50 minutes a day, three times a week for a month.

“Our findings provide a solid foundation for developing various types of improved and advanced wearable robots,” said Lee. “This will further expand the global wearable robot market, promoting further research and commercialization.”

It’s not certain when or if the Samsung EX1 might actually hit the market. Even so, anticipate assistive wearable robotics becoming a lot more prevalent over the next decade.

NASA’s snake robot is designed to search out life in the icy oceans of a Saturn moon

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Image Credits: NASA JPL/Cal-tech

The snake robot form factor has existed for decades. In addition to the diversity it adds to the world of automation, the design has several pragmatic attributes. The first is redundancy, which allows for the system to keep chugging even after a module is damaged. The second is a body that makes it possible for the serpentine system to navigate tight spaces.

The latter has made snake robots a compelling addition to search-and-rescue teams, as the systems can squeeze into spots people and other robots can’t. Other applications include plumbing and even medical, with scaled down versions that can move around pipes and human organs, respectively. NASA JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), never one to shy away from futuristic robotic applications, has been exploring ways the robust form factor could be deployed to scout out extraterrestrial life.

Image Credits: NASA JPL/Cal-tech

As is so often the case with these sorts of stories, we’re still in the very early stages. Testing is currently being conducted on terrestrial landscapes designed to mimic what such systems could encounter after slipping the surly bonds of this pale blue marble. That means a lot of ice, as NASA researchers are planning to send it to Saturn’s small, cold moon, Enceladus.

Twenty-first-century flybys from Cassini have revealed a water-rich environment, making the ice-covered moon a potential candidate for life in our solar system. The eventual plan is to use the snake robot, Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), to explore oceans beneath the moon’s crust and finally answer one of the universe’s big, open questions.

“It is designed to be adaptable to traverse ocean world–inspired terrain, fluidized media, enclosed labyrinthian environments, and liquids,” the team behind the research writes in an article published in this months’ Science Robotics. “Enceladus is the main driver for the design of EELS hardware and software architecture, as well as its mobility and autonomous capabilities. We have been using glaciers as Earth analog ice environments to develop and test its architecture as a stepping stone toward Enceladus.”

Image Credits: NASA JPL/Cal-tech

For the project, JPL has teamed up with Arizona State University; the University of California, San Diego; and Carnegie Mellon University, the latter of which has a long history designing snake robots. In fact, CMU spinout HEBI Robotics designed the modules being used in this early version of the system.

“On Enceladus, EELS could slither down narrow geysers on the surface and swim through the vast, global ocean, estimated to be six miles deep at the south pole,” notes CMU. “EELS is equipped with risk-aware planning, situational awareness, motion planning and proprioceptive control to allow it to move autonomously far from Earth and the clutches of human control.”

According to NASA, the system weighs 100,000 grams and measures in at 4.4 meters.

Carbonfact is a carbon management platform designed specifically for the fashion industry

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Image Credits: Carbonfact

French startup Carbonfact believes that the best carbon accounting solutions will focus on one vertical. That’s why the company has decided to provide a carbon management and reporting tool exclusively for the fashion industry.

Carbonfact recently raised a $15 million funding round led by Alven, a French VC firm that also led the startup’s seed round in 2022. Other investors in the round include Headline and Y Combinator, which also did a follow-on investment.

Big companies in the fashion industry (and other industries) need to come up with a carbon accounting strategy, as regulation is changing in Europe and the U.S. — the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, and the NY Fashion Act all require extensive tracking and reporting of how sustainability issues affect a company’s business.

That’s why there has been a boom in carbon accounting platforms. The biggest ones, like Watershed, Persefoni, Sweep or Greenly, have an industry-agnostic approach. They help you track your carbon emissions and create reports in a more or less automated way.

But in a manner similar to Carbon Maps, which focuses exclusively on the food industry, Carbonfact is focusing on the fashion industry so that its product can be more granular and more specific.

“For these industries — food is a very good example, fashion is a very good example — you need to be accurate in your calculations. You need industry-specific tools to model virtual products and improve your product offering in the future,” Carbonfact’s co-founder and CEO, Marc Laurent, told TechCrunch in an interview.

Carbon data at the product level

Carbonfact retrieves companies’ data from their ERP and other internal systems, and then calculates the footprints for each product using a life cycle assessment engine that is specifically designed for clothing items.

“[Clients] also have data in what they call PLM [product lifecycle management software ] — that’s the software in which they put all the product data. This is where you’ll find the product recipe sheets. They sometimes have data in traceability platforms, such as Retraced, TrusTrace, Fairly Made in France, etc. And finally, they sometimes have data in Excel files,” Laurent said.

After centralizing and normalizing all that data in a single platform, as the fashion industry relies on a cascade of suppliers, Carbonfact wants to help companies calculate their scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions, in particular, encompass indirect emissions from third-party suppliers.

The startup first gives its clients a broad idea of their main emission hot spots with an uncertainty range. It then helps them prioritize data collection with suppliers to refine the data and improve carbon reporting.

After that, Carbonfact can become a customer’s carbon footprint dashboard. It lets you generate broad reports and drill down at the SKU level to see the environmental cost of each product. The platform can then be used to run “what-if” scenarios to see if you should change a material, move to a new country of manufacturing, or change your transport methods.

Image Credits: Carbonfact

While many companies will focus first on CO2-equivalent metrics, Carbonfact can also be used to track other metrics, such as water consumption, French eco-labels, and other environmental indicators. In the carbon accounting industry, they call these indicators the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules, or PEFCR for short.

Carbonfact has already onboarded over 150 apparel and footwear brands, including New Balance, Columbia, Carhartt and Allbirds. “We track 100% of their subsidiaries, 100% of their suppliers, 100% of their products,” Laurent said.

Each client pays tens of thousands of dollars per year to use Carbonfact. With a little back-of-the-envelope calculation, if we consider that a client pays around $20,000 per year on average, it means that the French startup already generates at least $3 million in annual recurring revenue.

It’s clear that sustainability management software is a growing segment in the world of enterprise software. Still, it’s also a young sector. So it’s going to be interesting to see if several industry-specific platforms can become large companies, or if there will be some consolidation down the road.