It Took a Billion-Dollar AI Deal to Get YouTube on Vision Pro (www.kevin.md)

YouTube has launched an official app for Apple Vision Pro, marking a significant shift after Google declined to create one for two years while maintaining support for the Meta Quest. The abrupt change is likely linked to a billion-dollar AI partnership between Apple and Google, which aims to incorporate Google's Gemini models into Apple's ecosystem—potentially improving Siri and paving the way for broader collaboration. The new YouTube app includes standard videos, immersive content, and integrates seamlessly with visionOS features, providing a much-anticipated user experience for Vision Pro owners. This development is crucial for the AI/ML community as it indicates a thawing in the historically contentious relationship between Apple and Google in the spatial computing realm. The new app compensation highlights how corporate alliances can influence app availability, suggesting the potential for more Google services on Apple's platform, like Google Maps in AR. While the Vision Pro has faced slow sales, the introduction of a native YouTube app could alleviate some hesitancy among consumers, enhancing the device's attractiveness and possibly boosting its market performance.