According to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), their own virtual reality headsets, called Quest, are significantly more affordable compared to Apple’s Vision Pro. Zuckerberg also emphasized that the Quest headsets are designed to bring people closer together.
During a company-wide meeting, Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg expressed his views on Apple’s Vision Pro headset, considering it an expensive product without any “magical solutions.” He highlighted Meta’s own virtual reality Quest headsets as a more affordable option that brings people together. Zuckerberg pointed out that Apple’s promotional videos portrayed isolation, which he did not favor for the future. He also discussed the technical aspects of the Vision Pro, mentioning Apple’s trade-offs to achieve a metal design instead of a lightweight plastic build like most VR/AR headsets. He noted the absence of an in-built battery in the Vision Pro, which necessitates a wired connection for power. Zuckerberg stated that the design choices made by Apple might be suitable for their target use cases but highlighted that Meta’s teams have already explored and considered similar constraints on the laws of physics.
Zuckerberg also expressed his optimism about the metaverse project with Apple’s entry into the space, referring to the future of AR/VR headsets as a “funny journey.” However, he noted that Meta’s and Apple’s core visions differ. Meta envisions the metaverse as a virtual world where users create avatars, while Apple aims to offer augmented reality by overlaying digital content on real-world objects. Meta’s Quest headsets have a strong focus on gaming, whereas Apple’s Vision Pro headset, particularly the first-generation version, seems more geared towards content consumption and productivity.
In an interview following the official launch of Vision Pro, Apple CEO Tim Cook echoed this sentiment. He stated that the first AR/VR headset from Apple can perform all the functions of iPhones and Macs, and even more.
