Despite their longstanding rivalry, Microsoft has made a tradition of developing software for Apple computers, stretching back to the early days of the Macintosh in the 1980s. Turns out the Vision Pro will be no exception.
Microsoft announced Wednesday that its productivity apps will be available for Apple’s new mixed-reality headset when it launches on Feb. 2: Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop.
“We have worked closely with Apple for many years to bring these experiences to iPhone, iPad, and Mac,” wrote Microsoft’s Gabriel Valdez Malpartida in a post about the news today. “Now, with Apple Vision Pro, these apps make use of the infinite canvas of spatial computing and can appear side by side at any scale for incredible multitasking.”
Microsoft Copilot, will also be available inside the Vision Pro, offering the ability to use voice commands to activate and interact with the company’s AI assistant to help draft documents and create presentations, among other features.
Some key details from the Microsoft post:
- Microsoft Teams: Offers communication and collaboration features with the added mobility and infinite canvas of spatial computing on Vision Pro. (More details here.)
- PowerPoint: Provides an immersive environment for practicing presentations as if in front of an audience.
- Excel: Uses the infinite canvas to enhance productivity, allowing for complex data analysis and visualization beyond the confines of a traditional display.
- Word: Focus mode and immersive environments help eliminate distractions, letting users fully immerse themselves in document creation.
Microsoft makes its own mixed reality headset, HoloLens, but the uncertain future of that initiative inside the Redmond company has raised the possibility, at least, that the Vision Pro could be another example of Apple popularizing a technology that Microsoft first brought to market.
