Please, restore VisionOS simulator for Intel-based Macs.

Just a few days ago, I found the following notes for the visionOS 1 beta 4 Simulator:

This includes the simulator runtime for visionOS. The simplest way to install the visionOS simulator runtime is by using Xcode. Xcode can automatically install it when you build a project or start a new one. To manually add this simulator to Xcode, read Installing Additional Simulator Runtimes. Note: Developing for visionOS requires a Mac with Apple silicon.

I'm currently the proud owner of an Intel-based iMac 2019, 27", updated to the latest MacOS version, and which works wonderfully, flawlessly. And I paid handsomely for it.

And now, if I am ever going to continue working on any projects related to VisionOS, I'm going to have to shell extra money (a bit less than what I paid for my current setup) for a machine that will be marginally better than my actual one.

While I do realize there must be technical reasons why Apple Silicon-based machines perform better than Intel-based ones for VisionOS development, I still can't help but notice that, until a week ago, these machines worked almost correctly - there were some bugs, but they weren't showstoppers. And I'm pretty sure these bugs can be fixed.

So, I do not really understand why do you guys want to make this move to stop supporting Intel-based Macs from doing VisionOS dev. It will only force people to purchase machines that they do not need, to make the apps that they want to do, leaving perfectly working machines as if they were useless (which, I cannot state strongly enough, THEY WORK PERFECTLY.)

Dear Apple: Please, do not force us to buy new Macs to do our work. Please, allow us to have the VisionOS Simulator on our existing machines, and let us experience any problem that the Simulator has in our machines by ourselves, and then make the decision to get newer hardware at our pace. It should be our decision, not yours.

Please, restore the VisionOS Simulator, bugs and all, and let us decide by ourselves. Feel free to decide whether it is worth to fix the current bugs at your own pace, but please, do not forbid us from doing our job with our current machines.

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Izhido_XR
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I have an intel based mac. It's a shame I paid over $2200 for a 2019 Macbook pro. And I chose a Macbook Pro over Windows specifically because I had an interest in developing Apple products. I am deeply saddened by this decision, and I do not have the money to spend to get an Apple silicon mac to develop for VisionOS. Less than 4 years of support for a device is not something that I would ever expect from Apple.

There is a chicken and egg problem with getting people to develop apps for the Vision Pro. Developers do not want to develop for a device without a user base, and users do not want to get a device without applications made by developers. This move by Apple will certainly make this problem worse and seriously hinder the market for this device.

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LeviM
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I posted the same again. I hope I'm not the only one, and I hope that Apple will hear us.

Posted by
Mokaggino
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I totally agree. I have a macBook 2019 here, which is just fine. The only "reason" to update would be visionOS development, which is ridiculous. Even worse, I just noticed that Apple also killed visionOS support on macOS Sonoma under Intel, even if you use the old Xcode 15 beta 2. Did not see any notice about this before upgrading the OS. I installed macOS Ventura on a separate drive now, just to be able to continue working. It's a shame.

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waldgeist
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  • @waldgeist which version of Ventura did you get it working on? Im on Ventura Version 13.6.4 and am not able to get it working

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    Rednas07
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I posted the same again. I hope I'm not the only one, and I hope that Apple will hear us. Thats really awful

Posted by
KeyCheung
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So developer experience is not user experience? We are also the consumers of Apple's products. How can the company hurt a customer's heart?

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sakuragi1984
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Wholehearted agree from me :( this is very sad news to force all those perfectly nice computers to end up on shelves, resold, or even worse, landfills.

Posted by
thebebinator
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I agree. Buying a new Mac should be a choice. I bought the 16-inch MacBook Pro Intel, just 3½ years ago and spent about $3500 and it works great. I had tested the simulator for visionOS months ago and had no problems. In case there were any problems, I would be the first to invest in a new machine. But it should be the user's choice. Especially since we are not talking about machines from 10 years ago.

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GianlucaTimeToCode
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I'm considering doing some light visionOS development on a Ventura / Xcode 15 beta 2 on an Intel Mac, and then maybe publishing it to App Store later on friend's AS Mac. Wonder if this approach would be at all possible? I can't justify buying a new computer just for this. Really a shame they just dropped support like that, as it seemed it would work fine on Intel Macs.

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Marconelly
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  • It won't work. At least not in a satisfying way. I tried this approach, but if was buggy and super slow. Also, it was hard to get it up and running in the first place. It caused me so much trouble that I ended up buying an M3 MBP the day it came out. And yes, shame on Apple to force people to do so. Together with the VP, this will add up to around $9.5k for me (would have been cheaper if I hadn't picked one of the Max ones, but I wanted to be sure that I can keep up their pace for a while).

    —
    waldgeist

  • Thank you. Too bad to hear, but if it's at least technically possible I can give it a try. The thing I was thinking of doing is more of a hobbyist rather simple free game, so I can't really justify any extra cost.

    —
    Marconelly

  • I am running Version 15.0 beta 8 (15A5229m) of Xcode on my Mac Pro 2019 under macOS Ventura. It can download the visionOS 1.0 beta 3 (21N5233e) SDK + visionOS 1.0 beta 3 (21N5233f) Simulator through Settings under Platforms. It works fine.

    Have tried Xcode 15.1 and 15.2 also, and manually installing the simulator by downloading it from the apple dev site, the simulator is seen by Xcode settings, however I do not think that installs the SDK and it will not be able to build any projects.

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    monoton
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Request to apple team for allow support to visionOS app into Intel Mac.

Posted by
ChiragJoc
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I am considering downgrading my OS to Ventura to deal with this. But at @waldgeist said, it's probably not the best experience. If I'm trying to get a job developing for AVP, is this even worth trying? For context, my runway for staying unemployed will be reduced by approximately a week if I upgrade my laptop (assuming I can trade-in my laptop and pay a $600 price difference.)

Posted by
trimtab
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  • On my Mac Pro 2019 with Ventura, Xcode 15.0 beta 8 runs smooth it seems with the visionOS SDK and Simulator. Curious though if this environment allows me to publish binaries to the App Store. Maybe they require later version SDK and Simulator.. which is not running on the Intel Mac.

    Interestingly, I digged into the visionOS 1.1 Simulator package, latest, and found that he binary of the simulator is a fat binary, which also has an x86_64 part in it, so it can I theory run on an Intel Mac.

    —
    monoton
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Please, restore VisionOS simulator for Intel-based Macs.

Posted by
fromhollywood
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Apple, please re-enable support for visionOS SDK and simulator on Intel Macs!

I could find no performance issues on my Mac Pro 2019..

There will be less visionOS apps developed if you do not support intel Macs, as many developers still use those!

You can easily support it, just like you have always supported running iOS apps in simulator on intel Macs!

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monoton
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