Apple officially introduced the Vision Pro mixed reality headset at WWDC 2023, which is also when the iPhone maker and parent company Facebook stepped into the ring. Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg both believe that in the new era of personal computing, people will wear headsets to enter virtual worlds and interact with 3D objects. Cook calls this "spatial computing," and Zuckerberg uses the term "metaverse." The technologies involved are virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality.
Facebook jumped into the market nine years ago when it bought startup Oculus for $9 billion. At the end of 2, the company changed its name to Meta, and Zuckerberg committed to spending billions of dollars every quarter to develop VR and AR technology for the metaverse.
Currently, Meta owns a large share of the nascent market, beating the likes of Sony, HTC and Magic Leap in headset sales. Research firm CCS Insight said that shipments of VR and AR headsets in 2022 decreased by 12% to 9,6 million units compared to 2021.
Some analysts commented that Apple's entry into the market could provide the necessary impetus to help users become more interested in technology. According to CCS Insight analyst Leo Gebbie, if there's any company that has the power to turn the VR market around overnight, it's Apple.
However, Apple did not say exactly when to sell the Vision Pro other than early next year. More importantly, it's not for the masses, at least at first, as the price goes up to $3.499. That gives Zuckerberg some breathing room because the VR gear Meta is selling is much less expensive. This fall, Quest 80 for $2 and Quest 300 for $3 will hit shelves. The Reality Labs division, which develops hardware and software for the metaverse, lost $500 billion last year and $13,72 billion in the first quarter of this year.
For Zuckerberg, what's important now is turning mixed reality into a business opportunity. Unlike Google or Apple, Meta has no operating system in hand. Android and iOS bring in billions of dollars in revenue, help them dominate the smartphone market, and set the rules that third-party developers like Facebook must abide by.
Apple's change to iOS privacy in 2021 has caused huge damage, estimated billions of dollars for Facebook in the following year. It limits the ability of Facebook and other social networks to track users and deliver targeted advertising. As a result, the online advertising segment is severely affected.
Zuckerberg more than once spoke out about unfair iOS and App Store policies. Meta asserts that by eliminating the possibility of targeted ads, Apple hurts many small businesses that are using Facebook's advertising model to effectively reach new customers.
In November 11, during a conference, Zuckerberg announced that Apple considered itself the only company seeking to unilaterally control the applications on the device.
For his part, Cook criticized Facebook for making money from users' personal information rather than selling products people want to buy. In 2021, he linked Facebook's model to real-world consequences such as violence and reduced trust in the government's Covid policy.
“If a business builds on deceiving users, mining data, it doesn't deserve praise. It needs reform.” Cook speaks during a privacy conference in Brussels (Belgium). He didn't just name Facebook.
By developing the metaverse on its own, Meta was able to avoid Apple's domination and write its own rules of the game. However, this is a risky bet. Meanwhile, Apple knows how to make a product for the masses, whether it's a computer, a digital music player, a smartphone, a tablet, or a watch. They also own a new operating system for Vision Pro called visionOS. It means that Meta and Apple will compete to get developers to their side.
Disney brought pretty bad news for Meta at WWDC 2023. Following the death of the metaverse division, Disney said the company's streaming service will be available on Apple's new device. While some Disney content is already available on Quest, studio leaders say the experience on Vision Pro will be completely new. “We believe Apple Vision Pro is the revolutionary platform that makes our vision a reality.” Disney official told the audience of the event.
(According to CNBC)
