Apple's Metaverse-touting rival Meta has not one but three new virtual reality headsets in the pipeline, as well as a pair of AR glasses due to be released next year, according to a new report.
Apple and Meta are rivals in the space to capture customers in what was once seen as the next big thing in tech, virtual reality, and the metaverse, the latter a term shunned by Apple but embraced by Mark Zuckerberg.
Apple finally gave us Apple Vision Pro in early 2024, but now Meta is planning to strike back with a series of new headsets, including a high-end quest to compete with AVP.
Meta’s next metaverse move
According to The Information, Meta “is working on a range of new Quest headsets and AR glasses with displays for release over the next three years.” Meta’s augmented reality glasses are apparently going to be released next year, likely expected to be a big leap on its current Ray-Ban offering.
After new smart glasses, The Information reports that the new Meta Quest 4 is coming in 2026 and that there is a “standard” and a “premium” version in the works. Further down the road, in 2027, Meta apparently “plans to release a high-end Quest headset… to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro.”
Likewise, Apple isn’t resting on its laurels when it comes to the next iteration of Vision Pro. The most recent rumors indicated that Apple has halted Vision Pro 2 plans in order to focus on a cheaper headset, designed to broaden the mass appeal of the $3,499 first iteration. A cheaper Vision Pro would likely come with a significantly nerfed display, however, reports indicate that even a cheaper version could still cost $2,000. The cheaper Vision Pro probably won’t surface until 2025 at the earliest, but it’s possible Apple could beat Meta’s new VR offerings to the market.
Apple Glass, the company’s own rumored smart glasses project, remains nowhere to be seen.
