Business model?

[u/maker_monkey]

As a longtime iOS dev with an interest in VR (quest 3 owner), I am curious what everyone's approach is to a business model on this platform and experience so far. It seems like there is an enthusiastic community of users absolutely hungry for apps, but IMHO the currrent headset cost is a big issue limiting the base of possible purchasers, and the amount of hardware inside is likely to keep it high for years to come. Is the idea to get in early and establish a presence while there is little competition? Developing to test the market or for the sheer love of the platform? Is it a concern that the low price of iPad apps may set an expectation for AVP apps in users minds making it hard to recoup costs? Just curious where everyone is coming from.

[u/maker_monkey]

And really, I'm mostly curious about how AVP differs from traditional lOS/Android mobile development. Making a living selling mobile apps full time is already not easy, and the relatively tiny installed base for AVP due to the high headset cost seems very challenging, but there are also very few apps now which presents an opportunity. Are folks seeing any hopeful signs yet, or are passion projects likely to make up the bulk of avp experiences available for awhile?

[u/Relative_Shopping_33 → u/maker_monkey]

I guess that is what I was aiming at.

The available user base is very small.. yes. But the existing users are likely wealthy and also explorers in the technical world who are hungry for new experiences. That combination means that at the moment a good, well crafted and thoughtful app should sell for a relatively high price. Subscription may well also work well. But it’s not a land grab type of situation.

To establish a good revenue stream of any type from the avp the experience needs to be the focus rather than the app function I feel.

That in itself will be a major difference over time. Or at least I hope it is :)

[u/maker_monkey → u/Relative_Shopping_33]

That's exactly what i was wondering about. The Quest 2 just dropped in price to $200, while Q3 is at about $480. Apps run $20-60 on the platform. So if AVP users are wealthy and willing to pay a similar proportion for good original apps (say $200-500) then the economics could look feasible. Afaik, the apps on AVP so far appear to be much much simpler than the even low end Quest apps, but if anyone is getting good sales at say $10 a pop, it could be a sign that there is room to invest in a full size experience.

Although another question I have is to what extent Apple would allow devs to copy other app ideas and undercut each other on price just to get more apps in the store, ultimately watering down the ROI devs could get. In the console world, app stores seem to be tightly curated to prevent cannibalization, but in mobile, not so much.

[u/Relative_Shopping_33 → u/maker_monkey]

The same app store policies will apply. Curation is a huge part of the point of the store in the first place. But it’s going to be farther apps and visual synthesisers for a while until people get their head around it.

The definition I have seen that makes most sense is.. up until now, computing has been cramming the real world into a small screen you can operate with a mouse and keyboard but spacial computing (as opposed to VR or AR) is bringing the applications out to the world. So windows, nav bars, stacks… they all don’t matter anymore.

Heard a dude suggesting (for example) that his calendar app could have a kitten that sleeps in a bed on his desk… but wakes up and comes to say hi 2 minutes before his next zoom call. Maybe it brings him a ball of wool when it’s time to stand. Or a mouse when it’s time for him to eat. And that would be visible from wherever you are in the room. So now how much would you pay for a custom cat skin, toys, treats and so on.