During a recent companywide meeting, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that he isn't feeling the heat following Apple’s recent announcement of the Vision Pro headset. The meeting was reported on by The Verge’s Alex Heath, who was lucky enough to capture Zuckerberg’s thoughts on Apple’s headset as he spoke with Meta employees.
Zuckerberg took to Instagram just days before WWDC to unveil Meta’s own upcoming headset — and Meta’s great hope for the survival of the Metaverse — the Quest 3. Was this Zuckerberg’s way of asserting dominance in the face of Apple’s announcement? Who knows. But the headset was able to cash in on the AR/VR hype train that had been brewing around the Cupertino brand’s long-awaited announcement.
However, one thing it does tell us is that we can potentially put an end to all of those rumors that 'the Zuck' is part of the Illuminati secret society, as he decided to announce Meta’s upcoming headset hours before the scheduled Meta Quest Gaming Showcase, in turn stealing much of the spotlight away from the day’s following announcements — a stark display of his inability to keep things on the down low.
Works for thee, but not for me
While talking with employees, Zuckerberg was keen to point out how the two companies are doing things differently, and that Apple’s announcement won’t sway Meta’s heading.
“They [Apple] went with a higher resolution display, and between that and all the technology they put in there to power it, it costs seven times more and now requires so much energy that now you need a battery and a wire attached to it to use it.”
The Meta CEO continued, “I think that their announcement really showcases the difference in the values and the vision that our companies bring to this,” Zuckerberg highlighted, in reference to Apple’s Vision Pro reveal earlier this week.
While Zuckerberg did acknowledge Apple’s headset tech prowess he also pointed to the design trade-off that has dampened overall usability and massively inflated the Vision Pro’s cost. In contrast, Meta is happy to go in the other direction, with Zuckerberg stating: “We innovate to make sure that our products are as accessible and affordable to everyone as possible, and that is a core part of what we do.”
The people's playground
A key part of Meta’s decision to stay the course with its plans for future Quest devices lies in its secret weapon — the Metaverse. Zuckerberg continued, “Our vision for the metaverse and presence is fundamentally social. It’s about people interacting in new ways and feeling closer in new ways. Our device is also about being active and doing things.”
While it might not have taken flight quite like Meta had hoped for, even the Wright brothers took a few nosedives in the run-up to soaring across the skies. And, to be fair to Meta, they’re not wrong.
The company’s Quest headsets are an inherently social experience, with a key focus on engaging with others — whether that be watching a 3D movie in a virtual cinema with others, or running amok with friends across a few rounds of Gorilla Tag.
Them's fightin' words
“By contrast, every demo that they showed was a person sitting on a couch by themself. I mean, that could be the vision of the future of computing, but like, it’s not the one that I want. There’s a real philosophical difference in terms of how we’re approaching this.”
It looks like all that all of that Jiu-jitsu is paying off because Zuckerberg is coming out hands-a-swingin’ here. Or at least, as hands-a-swingin’ as he’s ever been before. What will no doubt sting the most from a comment like this is that Meta’s CEO has made a solid and hard-to-argue point. How social of an experience can Apple’s Vision Pro headset ever hope to be with a price tag of $3499? Even if you can afford it, can the rest of your friends or family?
The Vision Pro's high cost of entry is likely why the device seems so insular. So few people will actually be able to afford the damned thing, that even if there was an Appleverse to leap headset-first into, you’d be hard-pressed to stumble upon anything except a remote, virtual reality effigy burning by the now worship-from-home, rich and powerful invitees of Bohemian Grove.
Outlook
While not quite The Shot Heard Round the World or the spark that ignites the great war between Apple and Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's comments are still massively important. While not overly salacious or spicy, the Meta CEO's words are an indicator that he's feeling the wind in his sails once again for both the Quest 3 and the Metaverse.
Maybe that's because Apple have whipped the world into an AR/VR frenzy, before quickly pricing 99% of those aboard the hype train out of the experience. Leaving Meta's latest headset the Quest 3 to deliver that experience to a wider audience than ever before.
At this point, Zuckerberg has more to thank Apple for than fight them over.
