Apple has unveiled some big announcements about what apps to expect on the Apple Vision Pro at launch, including Disney Plus, Prime Video and more of the best streaming services, with one noticeable exception: Netflix.
Netflix previously confirmed it has no plans to introduce a native Apple Vision Pro app, and now CEO Greg Peters explains it's because "the device is so subscale" that he's not convinced it'll end up "yielding a return" for the streamer.
Put another way, until Apple's mixed-reality headset proves popular among more than just early adopters, Netflix will continue focusing its efforts on more reliable platforms.
Peters was asked about Netflix's decision during a recent interview with Stratechery. It's one of several high-profile platforms that won't have apps available on the Apple Vision Pro at launch, with others including YouTube and Spotify. However, the Netflix exec kept the door open for future collaborations, explaining that the streamer will "see where things go with Vision Pro."
"We have to be careful about making sure that we're not investing in places that are not really yielding a return, and I would say we'll see where things go with Vision Pro," Peters said. "Certainly we're always in discussions with Apple to try and figure that out but right now, the device is so subscale that it's not really particularly relevant to most of our members."
When asked whether there are ways Apple could change Netflix's big-picture strategy down the line — say, for example, if Apple's $3,500 gamble ends up being the next iPhone — Peters said that’s always a possibility:
"We’ve worked together for a long time, we’ve always had active discussions to how we could help each other out. Sometimes we find a great space of overlap. We can move very, very quickly. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer."
It's a nice way of saying that Netflix doesn't want to invest time, money and effort in making a Netflix app easily navigable with the Vision Pro's hand gesture controls if, in a few months, the headset proves to be just a flash in the pan.
The Apple Vision Pro is set to release on February 2, and pre-orders opened on January 19. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, between 160,000 and 180,000 headsets have sold so far based on inventory and shipping time. The Vision Pro has already become a frequent target for scalpers, with a new report claiming scalpers have used “thousands of bots” to secure pre-orders, only to list those pre-orders on eBay.
