Apple boss Tim Cook on March 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Frazer Harrison)
Expected in virtual reality (VR) for years, Apple could present its first VR headset on Monday and thus challenge its neighbor Meta (Facebook, Instagram) on its new playground, the metaverse, which is struggling to emerge.
Observers are unanimous: the Apple brand will finally unveil its first mixed reality headset – which mixes VR and AR, augmented reality – at its annual conference for developers.
The “Reality Pro” has “out-of-this-world” tech specs and will retail for “about $3,000,” according to Wedbush’s Dan Ives.
The headset was designed for playing video games, watching movies, taking part in video calls and playing sports, the analyst adds.
“Apple was hoping to release a product that was closer to a pair of glasses than a video game headset,” said Yory Wurmser, analyst at Insider Intelligence.
“But it looks like they’re going to unveil something bigger (and certainly more expensive), because they want enthusiasts and engineers to use it and start building an ecosystem of dedicated applications”, before design lighter and cheaper devices for the general public, he said.
– Meta’s Quest –
Virtual reality is currently dominated by Meta – its Quest brand headsets accounted for more than 80% of the market at the end of 2022, according to the firm Counterpoint.
On Thursday, the group’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, launched a new device, the Quest 3, the “first consumer headset with high-resolution color mixed reality”.
Mixed reality makes it possible to move from virtual reality, which immerses the user in a virtual universe, to augmented reality, where virtual elements appear superimposed on their real environment.
Microsoft’s HoloLens glasses are used in particular by companies and in the army for training (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/JUSTIN SULLIVAN)
The Quest 3, which will be marketed from 500 dollars in the United States in the fall, is “40% thinner” than the previous model, “more comfortable”, and “more powerful”, underlined the leader.
At the end of 2021, Facebook became Meta with the idea of becoming a metaverse company, described by Mark Zuckerberg as the future of the internet, after the web and mobile.
But the social media giant’s efforts have so far failed to result in significant mainstream adoption.
The number of users of such equipment jumped in 2021, during the pandemic and the confinements, but it has grown more slowly since then, by around 5 to 6% per year, according to Insider Intelligence.
– “Fear of missing something” –
According to this research firm, some 35 million people now use a VR headset at least once a month in the United States, or about 10% of the population.
Meta “would like to set the standards for the operating systems of this new technology, as Google and Apple have done for smartphones”, comments Yory Wurmser. “As a result, they don’t mind selling the headsets at a loss to build a consumer base.”
Apple, on the other hand, “wants to make money from the sale of its devices, even if its service business is growing”, adds the analyst.
The Cupertino group is notorious for only releasing new products when it’s sure to make a big splash, even at a price that’s too high for the general public to start with.
In any case, VR will first take shape “at work and at the level of universities and training”, judges Rolf Illenberger, founder of VRdirect, a virtual reality consulting company.
And even at $3,000, “between Apple fans and fear of missing out, if all the hype around the new headset is true, it’s going to revolutionize VR, AR, and how people view the metaverse. “, assures the consultant.
© 2023 AFP
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