Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Mark Zuckerberg has refuted the notion that Apple Inc.’s AAPL Vision Pro is comparable to the tech giant’s Quest lineup.
What Happened: The debate was sparked by tech analyst Benedict Evans, who expressed his confusion over Meta VR engineers’ assertion that the Vision Pro is essentially the same as the Quest.
“There are a lot of limitations to the Vision Pro, but I am genuinely baffled by Meta VR engineers claiming it’s ‘basically just the same thing’ as the Quest,” Evans posted on Threads earlier this week. “Apple is selling pretty much the device Meta wants to reach in 3-5 years. The Quest is selling at the price Apple wants to reach in 3-5 years.”
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Zuckerberg responded by stating that Meta does not claim the devices are “same,” but rather that the Quest is superior.
“If our devices weigh as much as theirs in 3-5 years, or have the motion blur theirs has, or the lack of precision inputs, etc, then that means we’ll have regressed significantly,” Zuckerberg said.
The Meta CEO also acknowledged Vision Pro’s higher resolution but argued that it comes at the cost of other product tradeoffs, making their device inferior in most aspects.
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Evans then said that he believes “the purpose of the resolution is that Apple thinks the only way you're going to get traction is to start with a computer experience” that works like phones do. However, he’s unsure if this new computer, Vision Pro, would be better than an iPad for most apps, except maybe for watching TV.
He also doubts if virtual reality gaming alone could be as popular as gaming consoles.
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In response, Zuckerberg said, “The narrative that these headsets are only for games is out of date. And yes, more resolution is better — but trading off ergonomics and motion blur isn’t a clear win when Quest’s resolution is also quite good.”
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Why It Matters: This exchange follows Zuckerberg’s previous comments on the Vision Pro. In February, he tried Apple Vision Pro and compared it with Meta Quest 3. The Meta CEO then declared the latter as the better product.
“I don’t just think that Quest is the better value. I think Quest is the better product, period,” he said at the time.
He defended his critique of the Vision Pro against backlash from Apple enthusiasts, dismissing any parallels with former Microsoft Corporation CEO Steve Ballmer’s disregard for the original iPhone.
"I'm not laughing at them. I take Apple seriously," he said on the Morning Brew Daily podcast.
Last month, it was also reported that Zuckerberg was seeking a partnership with LG Electronics Inc. for a new extended reality or XR headset.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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