The hope of the metaverse? Apple Vision Pro: Just don't mention the 'Metaverse”

In launching a mixed reality headset, Apple may not be doing it for the metaverse.

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

Cook’s keynote speech also reflected this.

Just like Mac introduced us to personal computing and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing.

In subsequent introductions, Apple did not mention the word "Metaverse" and chose "space computing" instead.

It is worth noting that last year, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of global marketing, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he would never use the word “Metaverse”.

Earlier before this, Cook also said in an interview with Dutch news media Bright that he did not believe that people should be encouraged to "live their whole lives" in the virtual world:

Ordinary people don’t know what the Metaverse is.

So far, Apple has still followed this line, Vision Pro is defined as a "utility tool" rather than a "virtual gaming device."

Low priority games

In the introduction of Vision Pro, the game was placed in a less important part, which once again emphasized that this headset was not developed for Metaverse games.

Apple introduced the operation of games on Vision Pro. What can be determined so far is:

Vision Pro is compatible with controllers like the PlayStation 5 DualSense, just like other Apple devices.

This headset will support more than 100 Apple arcade games, including NBA 2K23.

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

Other than that, Apple did not reveal any more information about the game part. But since the Vision Pro doesn't come with a built-in controller like other devices, porting games to it may not be easy.

But what should be recognized is that if Vision Pro is a capable VR gaming platform, then Apple will definitely go to great lengths to show it - but it is not now.

More,Apple may just use 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 this sense, Apple is going against the usual direction of VR marketing.

cool down

Apple’s “side” may pour cold water on the Metaverse, VR games and Meta.

In 2021, Facebook's name change to Meta once triggered crazy market hype about the Metaverse.

But this excitement did not last.

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

PitchBook data shows that as headset shipments decline, virtual reality-related startups raised $2.93 billion in venture capital in the first five months of 2022, falling sharply to $664 million in the same period in 2023 Dollar.

Meta’s virtual reality lab has also been criticized by investors because the unit has lost billions of dollars on virtual reality development.

At the same time, the market enthusiasm for the Yuanverse quickly cooled down, and turned to pursue faster development and more practical artificial intelligence technology.

In response to this shift, Meta has spent the past few weeks reshaping the company's strategy, describing artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as interdependent.

Nicola Mendelsohn, the company’s head of global commercial group, said at a press briefing last month:

We focus on two waves of technology: artificial intelligence and virtual worlds. They are interdependent.

We are interested in the Metaverse. But we're also very aware that to actually realize the vision that we're talking about, the whole thing is going to take five to 10 years.

However, some financial analysts believe that Apple's entry into this field may reverse Meta's development trajectory in the virtual world.

Barclays analyst Ross Sandler wrote in a report last Friday:

Apple's new headset may help shift sentiment from "Meta is burning money in VR" to "we might be onto something," given the company's huge lead in the space.

Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen said in an interview:

Apple is validating the market and there is enough room for everyone.

However, Apple’s departure from VR games and its choice of practical tools is exactly the opposite of Meta. (On the day of the Apple conference, Zuckerberg also took a selfie in the metaverse world)

This indicates that Apple and Meta may have "parted ways" in the field of mixed reality.

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