Apple Vision Pro was announced in June at WWDC 2023, and the product won’t hit stores until 2024. However, in the meantime, Apple has released the visionOS SDK so that developers can build and test Apple Vision Pro apps on a Mac before the official launch. And surprisingly, someone managed to port a Windows XP virtual machine to visionOS.
In a video shared on X, the developers behind UTM show a Windows XP virtual machine successfully booting into the visionOS simulator. For those unfamiliar, UTM is a system emulator and virtual machine host for iOS and macOS based on QEMU. In other words, it lets users run Windows, Linux, and even macOS on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
According to the developers, although Windows XP has been successfully emulated in visionOS, they have yet to implement input support, which means there’s still no way to interact with the virtual machine once it’s booted. Of course, this is something the UTM developers plan to implement in the future.
“UTM is now running on Vision Pro (simulator)! Still need to implement input devices but here’s a sneak peek,” the developers explained (via iPhoneSoft).
While having Windows running on visionOS is impressive at first, it’s not exactly a surprise to see it working since the Apple Vision Pro’s operating system is based on iPadOS – which the developers of UTM already support. Still, having an operating system like Windows XP running in a virtual floating window definitely seems interesting.
Unfortunately, you probably won’t find UTM in the App Store since Apple doesn’t allow virtual machine apps on iOS. The app must be installed via sideloading methods (such as AltStore) or TestFlight. But for those who want to see what it’s like to run Windows on Apple Vision Pro, the app should be available to customers on day one.
More about Apple Vision Pro
Vision Pro is Apple’s first mixed-reality headset. It relies on advanced sensors and high-resolution cameras to show the visionOS interface overlaid with the real-world environment. Inside, there’s an M2 chip and a new R1 chip dedicated to rendering the images captured from the cameras in real time.
Apple says Vision Pro will launch in the United States in early 2024, with a few more countries getting the product later in the year. Prices start at $3,499. Until then, developers working on visionOS apps can ask Apple for an Apple Vision Pro Developer Kit.
- Apple announces developer labs to promote App Store and Vision Pro features
- This is what Apple’s doing to prevent Vision Pro dev kits from being left behind in a bar
- Apple VP Alan Dye talks visionOS interface design for Vision Pro in podcast interview
- visionOS beta 2 tidbits: Group FaceTime limit, Optic ID details, more
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