The hope of the metaverse? Apple Vision Pro: just don't mention the "Metaverse"

Author: Zhou Xiaowen

Apple may not be doing it for the Metaverse when it comes to mixed reality headsets.

Overnight, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, its first-generation mixed-reality headset, but this is very different from Meta's Oculus virtual reality platform: in the field of immersive headsets, Apple chose Augmented reality (AR), while Meta opted for virtual reality (VR).

Cook's keynote speech also reflected this.

Just as Mac introduced us to personal computing and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing (Spatial Computing).

In the subsequent introduction, **Apple did not mention the word "Metaverse" and chose "spatial computing" instead. **

It’s worth noting that Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing, told The Wall Street Journal last year that he would never use the term “Metaverse.”

Earlier, Cook also said in an interview with Dutch news outlet Bright that he doesn’t think people should be encouraged to “live a lifetime” in virtual worlds:

Normal people don't know what the Metaverse is.

So far, Apple has followed that route, with the Vision Pro defined as a "utility tool" rather than a "virtual gaming device." **

low priority games

In the introduction of Vision Pro, the game is placed in the less important part, which once again emphasizes that this headset is not developed for metaverse games.

Apple introduced the operation of the game on Vision Pro, so far it can be determined that:

Vision Pro is compatible with controllers like PlayStation 5 DualSense, just like other Apple devices. The headset will support more than 100 Apple Arcade games, including NBA 2K23.

The press conference, which showed people playing arcade games on a flat screen inside the headset, rather than the immersive experience of true VR, may be telling us: **Vision Pro is essentially a display placed in front of your eyes. **

Beyond that, Apple didn't reveal much more about the gaming segment. But since the Vision Pro doesn't come with its own controller like other devices, porting games to it might not be easy.

But it should be recognized that if the Vision Pro is a capable VR gaming platform, then Apple will definitely go out of its way to show it - but it doesn't.

More, **Apple may just use the Vision Pro as an extension of devices such as Macbooks and iPhones. **

It is not positioned as a "virtual world" product, but a practical device that can be used to write emails and make video calls.

In that sense, **Apple is going against the usual direction of VR marketing. **

cool down

Apple's "standing in line" may pour cold water on Metaverse, VR games and Meta.

In 2021, Facebook's renaming to Meta once triggered wild hype about the Metaverse in the market.

But the excitement didn't last.

According to IDC data, due to economic pressure and a general cooling of market interest, total shipments of AR/VR devices fell by more than 50% in the latest quarter. **

Virtual reality-related startups, which raised $2.93 billion in venture capital in the first five months of 2022, will drop sharply to $664 million during the same period in 2023, according to PitchBook data.

Meta's virtual reality lab has also come under fire from investors, as the unit has lost billions of dollars on virtual reality development.

At the same time, the upsurge set off by the market for the metaverse quickly cooled down, and the government turned to the faster-growing and more practical artificial intelligence technology. **

For this shift, Meta has reshaped the company's strategy over the past few weeks,** describing artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as interdependent. **

Nicola Mendelsohn, head of the firm's global business group, told a press briefing last month:

We focus on two waves of technology: artificial intelligence and virtual worlds. They depend on each other. We're interested in the metaverse. But we're also very aware that the whole thing is five to 10 years away from actually realizing the vision that we're talking about.

Still, some financial analysts believe that Apple's entry into the space could reverse Meta's trajectory in the virtual world. **

Barclays analyst Ross Sandler wrote in a note on Friday:

Apple's new headset may help shift the sentiment from "Meta is burning cash in VR" to "we may gain something" given the company's massive head start in this space.

Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen said in an interview:

Apple is validating the market, there is room for everyone.

However, Apple's departure from VR games and instead choosing the route of utility tools is exactly the opposite of Meta. Zuckerberg plunged into the metaverse, but Cook chose to merge with the real world.

Netizens use Apple to mock Meta

This suggests that Apple and Meta may have "parted ways" when it comes to mixed reality.