Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a shot across Apple’s bow this week in an Instagram video that trumpeted the supremacy of Meta’s Quest 3 headset over Apple’s flashy new entry, the Vision Pro.
Dressed in his trademark grey tee, Zuckerberg argued the Quest 3 is “not just the better value, but the better product overall” compared to the Vision Pro which starts at a staggering $3,000.
The Meta founder cheekily praised his team’s long experience developing virtual reality hardware, a sly jab at Apple who is relatively late to the consumer VR party.
Zuckerberg called out benefits like the Quest 3’s lighter weight, wider field of view, physical controllers and much lower $1,500 starting price tag.
“It’s like 7 times less expensive than the Vision Pro,” he quips.
Still, Zuckerberg tossed Apple a bone by conceding the Vision Pro provides a superior entertainment experience for streaming videos and music. Albeit at a luxury car-like price premium.
The feisty Instagram hits come as Meta faces swirling doubts over its future. The company weathered a brutal 2022 filled with plunging metaverse dreams, massive layoffs, and defecting executives.
Meanwhile, Apple is still basking in the glow of its latest world-conquering triumph, having sailed past a staggering $3 trillion market cap last month.
Clearly Zuckerberg felt some public flexing was in order.
But do the Instagram barbs betray deeper existential fears as Apple encroaches on Meta’s VR turf? Is winter coming for Meta’s virtual empire?
“Not so fast,” cautions tech industry analyst Neil Shah. “Apple has obvious hardware and developer ecosystem advantages that take time to rev up.”
Shah notes that Meta retains a tremendous head start as the dominant player in consumer VR hardware and software. The company’s early bets and VR investments have paid off with over 15 million Quest headsets sold to date.
Meta may hold the upper hand today. But in the marathon battle for control of the emergent VR space, Apple has only just begun to gain traction.
The iPhone maker’s unified ecosystem between devices, coupled with sheer financial muscle, make it a formidable challenger in the long run.
For now, Meta likely breathes a sigh of relief. But as Apple slowly rolls out the Vision Pro and future AR hardware, it will put the pressure on Meta’s VR lead.
This is still the early innings of a high stakes tech war to define the future of extended reality. And the real winner may be consumers who stand to benefit from accelerating innovation.
Game on between these two tech titans! The VR gloves have come off.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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