Apple’s shares reached a new high a week after the firm launched its $3,500 Vision Pro VR headset. Despite its high price tag, Apple’s premium wearable technology has a market (or at least curiosity). Unlike the smartphone behemoth, though, Meta lost billions in its virtual reality division in 2022. And they plan to lose considerably more money on VR in 2023. The firms charge dramatically different prices for their augmented/virtual reality headgear (the Meta Quest Pro starts at $999). But how else are Apple and Meta different in their approach to the VR war?
Apple, Meta, and their various approaches to virtual reality and augmented reality technologies
The headsets are the first and most evident distinction between the approaches to virtual reality taken by the two tech titans. Apple has always provided costly high-end devices with plenty of power. The Vision Pro VR’s $3,500 price tag implies that the headset has remarkable (and expensive) hardware.
The Vision Pro is powered by a slew of sensors and cameras, providing the headset with unparalleled spatial awareness for VR/AR eyewear. It also features a dual-chip architecture that employs Apple’s M2 and R1 chipsets for smooth real-world interaction. In other words, you’ll pay more than for a MacBook Pro, but you get what you pay for. The Vision Pro is designed for enthusiasts who seek the most advanced virtual reality technology available.
Meta’s headsets, on the other hand, can cost as little as $300 or as much as $1,000. You may spend money on the Meta Quest Pro to have a better experience. Purchase a Meta Quest 2 to gain access to the virtual door. Though the Quest headsets are more than adequate, Meta cannot compete with Apple in terms of high-end hardware.
Software, digital ecosystems, and userbase
Apple’s portfolio of goods is so successful in part because to its extensive software ecosystem. Apple goods can all interact with one another since they have a hand in every aspect of consumer technology. The Vision Pro headset is just an extension of iOS smartphones.
According to Statista, Apple will have a 53% market share in the smartphone industry in the United States in March 2023. They have an existing user base that is already interested in their hardware items. Meta, on the other hand, is most recognized for its multiple social networking and messaging services. The average person cannot afford to spend two months’ rent on a useless item of consumer technology.
Both Apple and Meta claim that their VR headsets enable new forms of digital connection. However, with its metaverse, the social media behemoth intends to immerse users in a wholly manufactured universe. However, the iPhone maker is more interested in letting people engage with its augmented reality features in the actual world.
Apple has a huge edge in the consumer electronics hardware sector.
The metaverse (and its inextricably linked to blockchain technology) is still in its early stages. According to Pew Research, experts agree that the metaverse will grow more integrated into our daily lives in the future decades. Nobody knows what it will look like when that day arrives. However, Ethereum blockchain co-creator Vitalik Buterin believes Meta’s version is unlikely to provide the solution we seek.
Apple has also not demonstrated a virtual environment for Vision Pro customers. They do, however, boast the world’s most comprehensive online app store. And they have a set of tools available to let third-party developers enhance Vision Pro’s software offerings. In the digital era, both firms are focused on interconnection.
Unfortunately for Meta, they are unable to compete with Apple’s market domination in consumer tech devices. The premium technology in the headset isn’t the only thing that distinguishes the Vision Pro from the rest of the Meta’s Quest series. Meta cannot overcome the intangibility of a vast, dedicated customer base for Apple’s other hardware offerings.
SOURCE : boldtv.com