Cook and Zuckerberg face off: Apple looks down on the Metaverse, and its first headset is 7 times more expensive than the Meta

Zuckerberg and Quest 3 headset Source: Zuckerberg’s personal social platform

Four days after Meta released the Quest 3, the first consumer-level MR headset, Apple’s Vision Pro was unveiled, and the two sides went head-to-head.

At 1 pm Eastern Time on June 5, the keynote speech session of the 2023 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (2023 WWDC) began. In this speech that lasted about two hours, the head-mounted display product Vision Pro was released. Taking up 45 minutes, it became the focus of global attention.

"I believe that augmented reality (AR) is a far-reaching technology. The integration of digital content and the real world can unlock unprecedented experiences for us." Apple CEO Cook said when launching Vision Pro, He also mentioned that this product will lead people into the era of spatial computing.

Cook announced that Vision Pro will be sold in the United States early next year, with a starting price of US$3,499 (approximately RMB 24,867); Meta founder Zuckerberg announced on his personal social platform that Quest 3 will be launched this fall Released, starting at $499.99.

While releasing Quest 3, Meta also reduced the price of its old product Quest 2, with the 128GB SKU version reduced from US$399.99 to US$299.99.

Remove the handle and use both hands to control it

Times Finance has observed that Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 have a lot in common. They are both consumer-grade head-mounted display products that emphasize comfort, thinness, lightness, picture resolution, etc.

Compared to most products on the market, Apple and Meta’s headsets are lighter. Compared with Quest 2, the optical profile of Quest 3 is 40% slimmer, and the tracking ring on the Touch handle is removed. The Vision Pro uses a special aluminum alloy frame, removes the handle, but has an external battery.

In terms of control methods, Vision Pro and Quest 3 are more diverse than most headsets. According to information from the Meta official website, when using Quest 3, in addition to using the handle to control, users can also use their hands to interact with virtual objects.

Vision Pro subverts the traditional head-mounted display interaction method, and users can control it through voice, gestures, and eyes.

According to Apple’s official website, eye control of the headset is achieved through an efficient eye tracking system. Vision Pro uses a high-speed camera and a circle of LEDs to project invisible light images to the user’s eyeballs to obtain instant intuitive feedback.

Apple Vision Pro is equipped with M2 and the new R1 chip. The latter processes information from 12 cameras, 5 sensors and 6 microphones, and can stream new images to the display in 12 milliseconds.

Another innovation of Apple Vision Pro for head-mounted display products is the exploration of office and home application scenarios. Meta Quest 3, like traditional head-mounted displays, is mainly used for games. It is compatible with more than 500 VR games, applications and experiences in the previous generation catalog, and more VR and MR games will be released.

According to Apple, Vision Pro brings the office experience of iPad and Mac to the head-mounted display, so that the use of apps is no longer restricted by the boundaries of the monitor. It supports connections with Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Mac, and also supports many office software. , the use of conference software.

Application of Vision Pro in office scenarios Source: Apple official website

At the same time, with the blessing of Apple's exclusive Vision OS for headsets, Vision Pro also keeps synchronization with iPhone, iPad and Mac, and all memos, information, photos and documents can be automatically updated through icloud.

It is worth noting that after the release of Vision Pro, many netizens marveled at its innovation and subversiveness, but some people were worried that the actual experience was not good and inconsistent with Apple’s propaganda, and they had to wait until the product was launched to make a conclusion.

Selecting the AR direction has nothing to do with the Metaverse or AIGC

Before 2023 WWDC, the market generally believed that Apple would release an MR headset. Some people also said that Apple would integrate AI, generative AI, and even capabilities similar to ChatGPT into the headset. Others said that Apple’s headset It will open a new chapter in the Metaverse.

The actual situation is different from market expectations. First of all, Meta products are closer to the Metaverse, which defines Quest 3 as a VR (Virtual Reality) MR (Mixed Reality) headset, focusing on VR experience, and VR is called the entrance to the Metaverse.

Apple has chosen the AR direction. According to the demonstration video, with the support of cameras and sensors, when users use Vision Pro, they can see the real world, such as the people in front of them, room layout, etc., and all app interfaces can be presented on On the screen of the real world.

In the 2023 WWDC keynote speech, Cook called Vision Pro an augmented reality platform and did not mention MR throughout. There are also pure virtual scenes in this product, but they only use pictures to replace real-world scenes, and have little to do with AI or generative AI.

Cook Source: Apple Live Screenshot

Meta’s official website shows that the company is also exploring the integration of the real world and the virtual world. For example, users can see the real world at the same time when using Quest 3 to play board games.

Recently, Tianfeng Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo discussed the 2023 WWDC with investors and released his opinion: In the long run, the key factor for the success of Apple’s headset lies in whether it can be highly integrated with AI/AIGC, and what investors believe in Apple. The launch of a service similar to ChatGPT attracted more attention than the head-mounted display device.

According to a relevant report provided by the market research organization IDC to Times Finance, Chinese senior analyst Zhao Siquan elaborated on the following views in the report: As one of the most important new products in 2023, Apple’s official entry will accelerate the development of AR/VR devices Evolve from entertainment tool to productivity tool.

She mentioned that the current global and Chinese AR and VR market shipments are declining, manufacturers’ new product launches, marketing actions, new content launch pace, etc. have slowed down, and the yield and volume of new display and interactive technology components have slowed down. The production time is still uncertain. The release of Apple's headset has important guiding significance for the entire AR and VR industry in terms of product hardware characteristics, content ecological upgrade direction, and new technology development in the industry chain.

IDC's "China AR/VR Head Display Market Quarterly Tracking Report" shows that in the first quarter of 2023, China's AR/VR market shipped 173,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 37.6%.

On the day of the product release, Apple's stock price closed at $179.58 per share, with a market value of $2.82 trillion, down 0.76%, and the highest intraday increase of 2.21%. Meta fell 0.45% to close at $271.39 per share, with a market value of $695.5 billion.

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