Meta’s VR Vs Apple’s AR Strategy-Who Will Ultimately Win?
Meta’s VR Vs Apple’s AR Strategy-Who Will Ultimately Win?
By Tim Bajarin
You may not know it, but the tech battle of this century so far is about to begin.
Late last year, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg laid out his vision for what he deemed the Metaverse, with a significant emphasis on VR. In his world, people would work, gather, learn, and play within an immersive 3D VR world. Indeed, with an investment of close to $10 billion, Zuckerberg has bet Meta’s future on VR. Zuckerberg’s most important vision is focused on VR headsets and delivering immersive experiences within his defined view of a 3D VR world.
Apple has instead put a stake in the ground around AR, where a person can put on some form of glasses and live in a world where information, data, games, etc., are superimposed and visually augmented on top of real-world experiences. In this case, an open environment vs. a closed environment that Zuckerberg has proposed.
Apple also has a substantial investment in its AR strategy. However, given its enormous success with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple sees AR as a new frontier that will bring more people into its hardware, software, and services ecosystem. So, while it is a big bet that in the same way the iPhone was transformational, it is less betting Apple’s future on AR than expanding Apple’s sphere of influence.
Want to find out who Tim Bajarin thinks will be the winner in the Meta VR vs. Apple AR strategy?