Mark Zuckerberg hinted on Tuesday that he sees Apple as Meta’s main competitor in virtual and augmented reality, which he calls the “metaverse.”
The comments came later Half The CEO unveiled the company’s latest virtual reality headset, the $ 1,499 Quest Pro. nameless Apple – as it has avoided doing in the past – said competitors were focused on developing tight control over a virtual reality platform that would lock consumers into a particular operating system.
“In every generation of computing, there was an open ecosystem and a closed ecosystem, there was Windows and Mac, then Android and iOS,” said Zuckerberg. “Closed ecosystems focus on tight control and integration to create unique experiences and block them. Although most of that value ends up flowing into the platform over time. “
Zuckerberg’s comments reflect Facebook’s continuing complaints about how Apple manages the App Store for iPhone and iPad. The only way to install apps on Apple’s iPhone is through the App Store, which forces companies like Facebook to submit their software for approval to Apple’s app review department and takes between 15% and 30%. % of all digital sales.
Facebook has railed against this restriction in the past, and Zuckerberg has accused Apple of preventing Facebook from adding features to its apps.
Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta last year and the largest company is now turning to virtual reality and computer-generated virtual worlds, known as the “metaverse,” to fuel its next generation of growth. The company has put on guard it may take up to 2030 for the metaverse to start generating significant revenue.
Zuckerberg said Meta is focusing on an “open ecosystem” that would share the benefits of the new metaverse technology with more developers and companies.
“I see our role not only in helping to build this open ecosystem, but in ensuring that the open ecosystem wins in this next generation of the Internet,” said Zuckerberg, stating that Meta hopes to partner with a wide range of companies.
The comments are the latest sign of corporate tension between Apple and Facebook, as they both invest heavily in the development of virtual reality and augmented reality devices.
Apple hasn’t released a VR headset or confirmed one is in the works, but analysts and press reports say the iPhone maker is preparing to launch a VR device with the ability to switch video from external cameras to internal screens. time. the same main feature of Quest Pro.
Zuckerberg sees virtual reality and augmented reality as the beginning of a new platform that could eventually supplant the smartphone. If Meta ends up with a significant market share in laptops and they take off and become a mainstream device, Meta will no longer be bound by Apple’s “closed ecosystem” policies.
Meta also squabbled with Apple over a recent platform privacy change that makes it harder for Facebook to serve targeted advertising, which Zuckerberg previously claimed cost the company $ 10 billion.
Meta said on Tuesday that it believes the ultimate form of virtual or augmented reality would be a pair of goggles that would allow access to virtual worlds while being lightweight and with all-day battery life, and that the company is actively working. on this. device.
“Core technologies across the stack for augmented reality eyewear construction are coming together. We have displays, sensors, silicon, artificial intelligence and more, “Zuckerberg said.
