Apple didn't mention the metaverse once
- Apple's mixed-reality headset is finally here, but it isn't talking about the metaverse.
- Tim Cook unveiled the Vision Pro on Monday, instead using the phrase "spatial computing."
Apple mixed-reality headset, called Vision Pro, is finally here but for anyone watching the grand unveiling in Cupertino something was conspicuously missing: The metaverse didn't get a single mention.
Tim Cook took to the stage on Monday to unveil the Apple Vision Pro, a ski-goggle-like virtual- and augmented-reality headset priced at an eye-watering $3,499. At no point did the Apple CEO use the term metaverse.
"In the same way Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing," he said. He also described it as an engaging, immersive, infinite canvas.
On the surface of it, this is a dry way to describe what is ultimately Apple's biggest and riskiest launch since the debut of the iPhone in 2007. But the company has a clear reason not to follow in the footsteps of rivals who bet big on the metaverse: the concept is pretty much a PR flop and Apple knows it.
Separating the Vision Pro from the metaverse
The term "metaverse" was first coined by author Neal Stephenson, who introduced the concept of a 3D virtual space in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash." Entrepreneurs have since been racing to create their own versions of a digital universe, touting it as the future of computing. Mark Zuckerberg has been most aggressive in that race, renaming Facebook to Meta as a kind of binding commitment to an AR/VR future.
His decision has been a costly one for Meta both financially and reputationally. Its metaverse-focused Reality Labs division lost $13.7 billion in 2022. Some of its products have sparked mockery, such as the cheap-looking digital avatar meant to represent Zuckerberg.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has broadly given up on the HoloLens – a mixed-reality headset that CEO Satya Nadella once talked about as a transformational, metaverse device for everything from remote health services to collaborative design. A new version seems to be off the cards, and all Nadella talks about these days is generative AI.
Google also took a crack at an immersive headset with the Google Glass, but a tepid reception to its launch and high price tag of $1,500 resulted in its eventual discontinuation in 2015.
In short, the metaverse hasn't been an easy concept to crack, and indeed there isn't necessarily much evidence that it's worth trying. Has Apple understood that most people don't want to walk around with dorky headgear?
It's a little early to tell. The high price tag on the Vision Pro makes it a developer rather than a consumer toy, one that will spark a wave of experimentation once it becomes available next year.
And Apple's language around "spatial computing" feels more like the firm wants to talk about a device that retains some rooting in the real world, versus a wholly digital alternative reality. As a hardware firm, Apple's pitch is a little more convincing than Meta's, positioning the Vision Pro headset as a kind of natural successor or companion to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac.
Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management and longtime Apple bull, believes spatial computing is "just too powerful not to go mainstream," and forecasts Apple's headset will account for 10% of all its sales in 2030. That's chunky — and clearly Apple believes talk of the metaverse may jeopardize any success.