How to Find Apple Vision Pro Developers

The launch of the Apple Vision Pro might not signal a revolution on the scale of the iPhone, but the parallels are striking: Apple hasn't just released another pair of AR/VR glasses, they've introduced a new type of experience called spatial computing. Sure, there's a certain degree of marketing involved, but considering Apple's ecosystem and experience in building comprehensive hardware-software platforms, the chances of that success are very high. With that said, finding a partner who will help you build a spatial computing product can be difficult — creating applications for Apple Vision Pro calls for experience in iOS and AR/VR development. We're here to help you choose the right partner from the plethora of companies, websites, and catalogs. We'll go over the team setup depending on project scope, narrow down where to look, and analyze what to look at.

Opportunity for creative teams

It’s very likely that the current version is the worst spatial computing device Apple's ever made. Because it's the first. Future versions will be more comfortable, more precise, smaller, lighter, more advanced — as was the case with fist iPhones. Still, the current version of Apple Vision Pro is built for visionaries and innovators who recognize a huge opportunity in this new paradigm and are ready to explore it: capture the space or create value that can only exist within this specific paradigm because Apple Vision Pro offers something that's not possible anywhere else.

Step #1: The foundation for creating spatial experiences

The right team should be able to creatively leverage their iOS development experience with Apple's new spatial computing SDK. Plus, they should have a flexible but well-cooperated product development process. The key is to find a team whose strength isn't manifested in team size but rather in interdisciplinary skills, years of experience, collaboration, and most importantly, the multiplied value they deliver through senior-level expertise.

Choosing the Cooperation model

Most projects start with the decision to pick a cooperation mode:

• You can look for freelancers to assist with specific tasks
• You can use your in-house team and hire a consultant to train them
• You can build an in-house team of experts from the ground up
• You can also search for a software house, where you will get a ready-to-work team selected to assist you in the best possible way

Team Setup

Regardless of the cooperation model, let’s be real, building a spatial application is usually not a task for one person. You will need a team. A team that, by combining individual skills, will ensure that you ultimately receive a multiplied outcome. So what creative roles will you need?

Developer

An app is an app, a developer is a developer, right? Not quite. An undeniable fact is that Apple’s strength lies in its ecosystem — the easy, fast, and seamless transitions between devices and platforms. Also, the reuse of tools, libraries and programming languages is a big advantage of staying within the ecosystem. However, even though programming for Apple Vision Pro is possible using Swift (the same language used for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple device apps), spatial computing operates by slightly different rules than mobile or desktop applications.

In the case of extended reality (XR) technology (the basis of spatial computing), the knowledge and, most importantly, experience in a 3D environment are crucial.

These are the elements that make up a 3D environment:

• Solving the way how the environment is changing as the app operates
• The ability to optimize performance or rendering
• Knowledge of mathematical transformations needed in a 3D environment
• Use of different controllers and mapping entirely new interactions

These are the most important skills that can be hard to find in the mobile/web/desktop environment. Most important to remember: not every experienced mobile app developer (even in iOS) will be a good programmer in the world of spatial computing.

Even game and VR developers who are familiar with managing shading and lighting are not exactly skilled in the development of augmented reality apps and games where the external world, changing conditions, lighting, collision detection have to be taken into account.

Designer

The visual aspect in spatial experiences is the key element. Unlike in mobile or desktop applications, the design area — the visual side of the application — needs several different roles. The needs and distinctions will mainly depend on the type of application you want to create: whether it will be more of a productivity tool, entertainment app, or a full-fledged gaming experience.

2D designer

One of the roles will be a 2D designer experienced in AR. The main responsibility will be to plan and create the user interface and, above all, a good user experience. Creating human-friendly UX is the core of spatial computing because the use cases can be so different, and the interactions and controls need to be adapted.

3D designer

3D graphics is another requirement rarely seen in the mobile app world. You can build the 3D user interface using native components provided by Apple, but the specific content of your application, i.e., models and assets, will require additional work. Depending on the type of content, the degree of complexity, and the amount of 3D content, you may need more than one role from the 3D design area.

For example, if the application requires a lot of animations, interactions related to moving complex 3D elements, it's worth considering the help of an animator or VFX artist. If the content and flow of the application go more towards game elements and even creating full virtual worlds, roles such as concept artist, 3D modeler, character artist, rig artist, environment artist, and the aforementioned VFX artist will be helpful. If the application is more technical (for example, showing visualizations of diagrams or elements of machines or buildings), you will need a 3D designer with experience in CAD and BIM areas.

The above sounds very expensive, but it's worth remembering that everything depends on the scale and complexity of the visual layer. In most cases, the role of an experienced 3D designer (3D generalist), who can combine the above skills, is enough. Add to this a 2D designer to take care of the user experience and the visual area is checked off.

Tester

Quality is also a key factor. Crashes, bugs, and stability issues can severely damage the user experience — even if the application itself offers substantial value. It’s easy to imagine how dissatisfied a user fully immersed in a virtual world would be if they were suddenly pulled out due to an error or app crash.

A tester (QA) ensures that inevitable development errors don’t reach the end user. The more experience the QA, the better the testing result. Highly skilled testers pick up errors across a very diverse range of areas. They have experience with various types of devices, but also know specifically what to look for in XR applications — they can test the product under different external conditions.

Product Manager

Why do you need a product manager? In short, to efficiently, effectively, and productively connect business with technology. Or, put another way, to translate the language and needs of your business and product into the language of technology. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, a product manager helps ensure that the most critical requirements are at the top of the task list, filtered through the lens of bringing the most value to users. Product managers also help monitor how users interact with your application and collect data that will enable making informed decisions about the future direction of product development.

Many techniques and product approaches (for example: continuous discovery, pirate metrics, data driven development, and defining MVP, just to name a few) used in mobile applications can be reused in the spatial computing environment. But note: an Apple Vision Pro application isn't a copy of a mobile application. Remember the term mobile moment (an event when a customer takes out their cell phone to get what they need, right when they need it)? Here comes something new: a spatial moment. Experience in mobile applications once again helps to make a spatial app desirable.

Step #2: Where to look for an Apple Vision Pro agency?

Now that we know what to look for, it’s time to find out where to look. Whereas for mobile and desktop applications you can comfortably refer to ranking websites, for AVP, the market is not yet that mature. It doesn't mean there aren't any Apple Vision Pro agencies on directories, it's just that the vendor landscape is still forming.

So to help you shortlist Apple Vision Pro agencies, we've prepared a list of top development agencies for you to review.

Each of these agencies has specific resources that might align with your needs:

Nomtek

• Location: Poland
• Employees: 77
• Website: Nomtek — Apple Vision Pro Development

Yord Studio

• Location: Czech Republic
• Employees: 34
• Website: Yord Studio

Le Polish Bureau (associated with Unit9)

• Location: Poland + UK
• Employees: 29
• Website: Le Polish Bureau

Groove Jones

• Location: USA
• Employees: 65
• Website: Groove Jones

Innowise

• Location: Poland
• Employees: 1,600
• Website: Innowise — Apple Vision Pro

Queppelin

• Location: USA/India
• Employees: 45
• Website: Queppelin — Vision Pro Development

This list could be a starting point for your agency search. Each company varies in size and offers different capabilities for developing Apple Vision Pro products. Be sure to visit their websites and check out their portfolio. Plus, contact them directly to discuss your specific project requirements and ask how they can meet your needs. It's crucial to choose developers or agencies that have access to Apple Vision Pro hardware and can check the outcome of their work in real-time in operating conditions.

Step #3: What to look at in a development partner to choose wisely?

Aside from experience in AR/VR and iOS development, consider an augmented reality development company that is an active contributor to the development of immersive technologies. Collaboration and support from hardware manufacturers is vital for development teams because it creates testing opportunities that help craft incredible experiences for any AR/VR platform.

Check the portfolio

Sure, claims, buzzwords, a lot of complicated technical terms, and beautiful visualizations are obviously important to capture attention. But pretty words on pretty websites aren't everything. What you should be paying close attention to are the actual applications built by the agency, especially products designed for platforms like the Apple Vision Pro.

• Check the portfolio of companies that have a track record in creating custom experiences designed for the Apple ecosystem — look at their ability to leverage the platform's unique capabilities
• Look for products created in XR technologies (AR/VR)
• Evaluate their experience with various types of hardware, and ensure they have experience in mobile technologies, which will also be a big asset

Remember, Apple Vision Pro development isn't limited to just Swift and Apple’s native frameworks. There are more options, most of them have been available for a long time on mobile platforms, as well as on XR devices from other manufacturers. If you want to learn more, check out our article on choosing a technology stack for Apple Vision Pro.

Check the Company's Innovation Department

Apple Vision Pro is a new device, and in some sense, the concept of spatial computing is just breaking through to user consciousness. Check if the agency you found has a functioning innovation department. Names for these can vary, but it’s about staying up-to-date with new technologies, checking new technological concepts, searching, experimenting, and sometimes failing. And most importantly, doing internal projects using their own resources — it means the company is learning and ensuring not to waste client resources to explore new technology. This way, you’ll get experience already in the package and won’t pay for learning.

Check team stability

The IT market is dynamic, with people switching jobs often. But if you have a choice, it’s better to choose a company where employment stability is high, with low employee turnover. You can check this, for example, on LinkedIn. Look for median tenure statistics in Insights. You don’t want frequent changes in the team — it doesn’t have a good impact on productivity and planning.

Check soft skills and cultural fit

Strictly technical aspects, knowledge, experience are very important. But when choosing a partner to collaborate with, pay attention to the less measurable aspects: soft skills, communication, organizational culture, approach to transparency, and responsiveness. Perhaps also the aspect of how the company operates, e.g., hierarchy, history. There are no right and wrong answers here, but some will resonate better with you.

Check Roles within the Company

It might seem obvious, but check if the agency has the necessary roles you identified in the first question. A good, experienced team that has been through many challenges brings significant value. Check if the agency has real experience both in XR and Apple technologies (iOS / SwiftUI). Preparing and submitting apps for the Apple Vision Pro to the App Store is also an added benefit. Also, look for expertise in app store description optimization.

Real impact

This might be harder to verify on a website. That's why contacting the agency directly is so important.  During initial conversations, ask about previous clients: how the agency helped increase KPIs, how it had a real impact on the business. Technology is just a tool — check if the agency thinks more broadly: asks questions about the business model, wants to better understand your idea and product, and also focuses on defining KPIs and metrics.

Learn something new

Consider whether during these first conversations you learned something new, not just about technology. It could be, for example, a similar case of another client, discussion about market trends, or maybe a pertinent question you hadn’t asked yourself before. Look for a partner for discussion, not just a contractor.

Other touchpoints

Check if there might be additional touchpoints and capabilities the agency has — not necessarily for now, but possibly for the future. For example, the use of AI or, more broadly speaking, intelligent functionalities for Apple Vision Pro. A trusted partner with whom you have a good relationship can also be useful for your business in the future.

Key step: Take your time

Choosing a partner to work for your app for Apple Vision Pro is a complex process. There’s a high probability that you want to allocate a substantial budget to your project, which automatically raises the risk level. A lot depends on making the right choice — this is actually where the success of your product begins. Don’t rush it, take your time to search. This investment will pay off in the future.