Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, told his employees on Thursday that the vision that Apple and its Vision Pro want to achieve is not what “Metaverse” wants to achieve. Zuckerberg talked about Apple’s mixed reality headset during the first all-hands meeting at their Silicon Valley campus, which was the first since the pandemic. Days before Vision Pro was unveiled, Meta introduced the Quest 3, a mixed reality headset. According to the Verge, Meta’s CEO was not too impressed by what Apple had to present. Reportedly, Mark pointed out that during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), all the upgrades and devices that were being introduced showed a person sitting by themselves on the couch, and this is not what Meta wants to achieve.
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As reported by Verge, Zuckerberg told his employees, “I think that their announcement really showcases the difference in the values and the vision that our companies bring to this in a way that I think is really important.” The reports suggest that Zuckerberg’s metaverse acknowledges social presence, and the tech giant wants to create a place that would facilitate people interacting in newer ways while feeling closer. Meta’s CEO has asserted that their device is about “being active and doing things.” Further, as reported, Mark Zuckerberg did not find anything new out of Vision Pro and feels that the device does not provide any magical solutions to any of the constraints of physics that Meta has not previously explored. What’s more, Zuckerberg reportedly feels that Meta’s Quest 3 is more accessible to people than the Vision Pro because of the price tag the two devices come with. Quest 3 will be available at a retail price of $499, which is around Rs. 41,100, whereas Vision Pro will be available at $3,499, which is around Rs. 2,89,000.
Meta has invested heavily in Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of creating a virtual life over the internet that the world refers to as the “metaverse.” The investment and belief were so high that Facebook changed its name back in 2021. However, this vision has been obstructed by unexpected launches and unintended errors that have restricted the stream of profits for the company. Reportedly, Meta’s Reality Labs, which has been fueling the vision of the metaverse, has lost around $4 billion, and the CEO is taking up the agenda of artificial intelligence rather than the metaverse.
Also Read: Vision Pro at WWDC 2023: 10 things we liked about Apple’s ‘next big thing’, 1 we didn’t
The Vision Pro was launched earlier this week at Apple’s WWDC 2023, while Quest 3 was introduced a few days prior to the former’s launch. Vision Pro allows the interaction of digital content with the physical world while allowing users to stay connected with others. Meanwhile, Meta has asserted that the new Quest 3 comes with a higher resolution, better performance, and will be more comfortable than its predecessors. Further, Quest 2 will be available for a lower price, marking Meta’s smooth entry into the masses with VR and AR technology.
