Apple wants to offer more music in Spatial Audio format
Apple Music will reportedly pay artists a 10 percent higher royalty rate for music offered in spatial audio format. The new financial incentives are intended to further accelerate the distribution of spatial music in the Apple Music catalog. This would also benefit Apple Vision Pro users, who would be able to enjoy an audio-visual spatial experience. According to Apple, more than 90 percent of subscribers have already tried Spatial Audio, and the total number of Spatial Audio plays has more than tripled in the last two years.
230 native apps available for Apple Vision Pro at launch, says Gurman
According to Apple expert Mark Gurman, about 230 native visionOS apps are currently ready, including major AR apps from Lowe's and JCrew, as well as the productivity and entertainment apps already announced by Apple. The rest will come from indie studios. The number may increase slightly before the launch of Apple Vision Pro in early February. Major app providers such as Netflix, YouTube and Spotify have already signaled that they will not provide software for Apple Vision Pro. Google and Meta also seem to be avoiding the new platform for now.
There will be no YouTube and Spotify apps on the Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro users will have to make do without apps for YouTube and Spotify. The two streaming platforms have no plans to release a new app or activate the existing iPad apps for the VR/AR headset. Instead, users will have to access the content on the Vision Pro through the web browser. Netflix will also reportedly not provide an app for the Vision Pro. However, other entertainment apps such as Disney+, Max, Peacock, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video will be available on the device.
Magic Leap CEO Talks About Product Roadmap in New Interview
Magic Leap's new CEO Ross Rosenberg spoke with Venturebeat about the company's recent $590 million investment from Saudi Arabia and how the company's AR headset will differentiate itself from products like the Apple Vision Pro. Speaking about Magic Leap's product roadmap, Rosenberg said:
"We have a road map based on expanding the technology we have. Expanding the field of view, expanding the immersiveness, making the device more mobile in some ways, less tethered. All of those things are on our road map. As you extend beyond that time period, you think about ways to further reduce the size and weight of the device. Eventually you get to something that feels more like glasses. We think about all those things as we design our road map."
CTO Daniel Diez said that Magic Leap currently has more than 1,000 employees and that the company is "definitely growing the team as necessary".
Saudi Arabia Reportedly Pumps $590m Into Magic Leap
The Telegraph reports that Saudi Arabia is investing $590 million in Magic Leap. Saudi Arabia has acquired a majority stake in Magic Leap in 2022.
According to the British news site, the startup has raised a staggering $4.5bn in investment capital to date. Magic Leap itself has not yet confirmed the new round of investment. The news comes two weeks before the launch of the Apple Vision Pro.
The company has been developing AR headsets since 2010. The first headset, Magic Leap One, released in 2018, was a commercial failure. With the second headset called Magic Leap 2, which was launched in 2022, the company completed a strategic pivot towards enterprise customers. In October 2023, CEO Peggy Johnson stepped down and was replaced by Ross Rosenberg.
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