Impactful developments are underway in the mixed reality sector, spearheaded by tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. and Apple. Since the rebranding of Facebook to Meta Platforms Inc. two years ago, CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s presentation of his ‘metaverse’ vision has been received with varying degrees of skepticism, according to market analysis. This is reflected by the changing language used in the sector as various terms like ‘metaverse’, ‘virtual reality’, and ‘augmented reality’, see significant reductions in their usage due to them becoming somewhat tainted in public perception.
The most recent entrant into the sector, Apple, has opted to completely avoid these terms, proposing ‘spacial computing’ as a descriptor for their upcoming hardware release. This shift in language is evident in the promotion of their Vision Pro headset, expected to hit the market in the coming weeks. This move begs the question: Will spacial computing prove more marketable than the metaverse?
With Apple’s Vision Pro release on the horizon, market anticipation indicates a rekindling of interest in the mixed-reality concept, powered by Apple’s sterling reputation for hardware excellence. This suggests that the terminology ‘spacial computing’ proposed by Apple may prove to be more market-friendly compared to the ‘metaverse’ vision promoted by Meta Platforms Inc. It remains to be seen how this shift in terminology and recently ignited interest in this technology space may impact the market dynamics in the longer run.
To further explore the details of this analysis, you might find this article from Bloomberg particularly insightful: Meta Can Ride Apple’s Coattails to a Mixed-Reality Win: Dave Lee.