Want to try out the Apple Vision Pro before 2024? Apply for a Developer Kit now, if you’re eligible

If you simply can’t wait until 2024 for the Apple Vision Pro to be released, there’s a way you could get your hands on it way sooner. You just have to be a developer and apply for a Developer Kit, that’s the prerequisite.

Apple’s Vision Pro AR/VR headset is set to hit store shelves and web shopping carts sometime in the first three months of 2024. That’s for the US release – users elsewhere will have to wait some more until the $3499 crème de la crème tech is available in their regions.

The Cupertino giant will loan you a Vision Pro piece in 2023 if you can convince them to (via 9to5Mac). As of now, the terms of the loan process are not disclosed, but there’s some information about the process on Apple’s official website. Shortly after the announcement of Vision Pro at WWDC in June, the company released the visionOS SDK for everyone to create and test Vision Pro apps on a Mac system. That’s great, but having the gadget on your desk is a completely different experience.

If you have an ‘innovative idea’ for an app or game for visionOS that ‘requires building and testing on Vision Pro’, the Apple bulletin reads, you just need to apply for a developer kit. ‘This kit will help you deliver amazing spatial experiences by letting you quickly build, iterate, and test on Vision Pro’, says Apple.

What’s the deal and what do I get?

If your application is approved, Apple will loan you a Vision Pro developer kit ‘to prepare your app for the launch of the new App Store on Vision Pro’. That’s not all, here’s what Apple also says you’ll receive:

• Help setting up the device and onboarding.
• Check-ins with Apple experts for UI design and development guidance, and help refining your app.
• Two additional code-level support requests, so you can troubleshoot any issues with your code.

Don’t get too attached to the loaned Vision Pro AR/VR headset, though: ‘This Apple-owned development device needs to be returned upon request’, states Apple. Fair enough.

Applying for the developer kit is done by submitting a brief application for a Vision Pro developer kit. You’ll need to be an Account Holder in the Apple Developer Program, provide details about your team’s development skills and existing apps, and agree to the terms and conditions. ‘Applications will be reviewed and priority will be given to applicants creating an app that takes advantage of visionOS features and capabilities’, so keep that in mind when requesting this ultra-modern headset.