Meta Quest 3
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally tried Apple Vision Pro, saying Meta is “seven times faster” cheaper” Quest 3 is “better for the vast majority of things people use mixed reality for.”
Apple never competed with Meta in the traditional sense. It has been a thorn in the side at times with features like app tracking transparency, but with Apple Vision Pro it has entered the competitive Meta space without question.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that he finally tried Apple Vision Pro in a video posted to Instagram. He is quite expressive and is ready to declare victory in the battle between the technical titans that has just begun.
“I finally tried Apple Vision Pro,” Zuckerberg said in an Instagram video. “I don’t think Quest is the best value, I think Quest is the best product, period.”
This is in stark contrast to June 2023, when Meta pre-announced the Meta Quest 3, just days before Apple announced the Apple Vision Pro. There was obviously some sense of threat from Apple's entry into the market, but the two headsets exist in completely different markets.
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If you pick out some of the more grandiose statements, Zuckerberg does make some good points. Apple's Vision Pro isn't a $3,500 mass-market product, and at least at launch it lacks a personalized experience.
Design, content and functionality
Meta has been working with developers for many years to create its exciting library of content. Apple's ecosystem and developer community will likely help Apple Vision Pro catch up in this regard.
Meta Quest 3 weighs 85-135 grams less than the Apple Vision Pro, depending on configuration, and does not require an external battery pack. This weight difference is mainly due to the design and materials.
Apple Vision Pro
He says Meta's design choices are rooted in the functionality the company was aiming for — games, communication, training and much more. Comfort is critical, and being wire-free also helps with these functions.
Zuckerberg wanted to make it clear that Meta Quest 3 has a “high-quality transition to the big screen.” The video was even recorded on a Meta Quest 3 in Zuckerberg's brightly lit living room with huge, sunlight-filled windows for best results.
He also emphasizes that he thinks the displays are brighter, have less motion blur, and that hand tracking is better on the Quest. Meta Quest 3 doesn't have eye tracking, but Zuckerberg says the feature will return.
At one point it was mentioned that Meta Quest 3 is the only place where you can watch YouTube or play Xbox, not Apple Vision Pro. This is not true thanks to apps like Nexus and Juno.
Open or closed
“I know some fans get upset when someone Dare to wonder, Apple is going to be a leader in a new category,” Zuckerberg commented. “In the next generation, Meta will be an open model.”
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He says the era of desktop computing is more open thanks to Microsoft, but The mobile era is closed because of Apple. Meta hopes to conquer the virtual reality space by being more open and surpassing Apple's closed ecosystem approach.
Since the Meta Quest 3 is priced much lower than the Apple Vision Pro, it controls a larger market. It's as if Meta ends up becoming the Android of the headset world.
Rilla ends on a strange note: Mark Zuckerberg quotes: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Versions of this quote have existed for decades, but two passages in particular stand out: “Alan Kay” in 1971 in PARC and “The Well Manicured Man” from The X-Files in 1995 — a more suitable analogue.
There are many opinions regarding Apple Vision Pro and its future. Some are more positive than others, but of course it's clear that Meta's CEO isn't going to openly say that her competitor has a better product.
