Apple Enters Mixed Reality Business
Apple has joined the mixed reality market, which could be bad news for the previous industry leader, Meta. CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently commented on Apple’s new release, the Vision Pro, during a company-wide meeting, where he expressed cautious optimism, stating that the device is “not a magic solution.”
Meta Has Already Considered Everything
Zuckerberg’s comments were posted on IT blog, The Verge, where he also indicated that Meta had already examined and considered everything that Apple is now implementing. While Apple has made “compromises” with the Vision Pro, Meta has chosen not to. For example, Apple has opted for a higher-resolution display that costs seven times more and requires a battery and cable. However, Apple’s compromises could make sense for its target applications.
Difference in Values and Vision
Zuckerberg stressed that Apple’s announcement demonstrated a “difference in values and vision” between the two companies. While Apple’s Vision Pro will be pricey, costing $3,500 upon launch (excluding sales tax), Meta’s Quest models are more affordable, with “several tens of millions” already sold. In addition, Meta’s innovation focuses on making its products accessible and affordable for everyone.
Metaverse is Social
Zuckerberg believes that Meta’s vision of the Metaverse is fundamentally social, whereas Apple appears to focus more on solo use. Although Apple’s demo video showed someone sitting alone, the Vision Pro will have a rotary control that allows users to switch between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). If someone enters the field of view, AR is automatically faded in.
Ultimately, both companies have different visions of the future of computing, but only time will tell which one is more successful.
