Introduction
Although Metaverse is not a new term, Mark Zuckerberg aroused people’s interest again in 2021. In 2021, Facebook was renamed to Meta and Zuckerberg announced that Meta would realize the Metaverse by investing in and developing Virtual technologies. Metaverse is an immersive virtual world where people can do almost everything online they do in their real lives and interact with others, including working, socializing, shopping, studying, gaming, etc (Tucci, 2024). In 2024, Apple launched the Vision Pro, which can provide users with revolutionary and extraordinary AR and VR experiences. This makes us wonder: does Apple Vision Pro realize the Metaverse?
Key elements of the Metaverse
- The new version of the Internet: Metaverse is often described as a new version of the Internet or the next version of the Internet, where people can easily access immersive and virtual information with any electronic device that has VR and AR functions.
- Virtual Identity and Asset: In the Metaverse, everyone has a unique virtual identity, which can recognise users, and we have to log in with that to interact with others. In addition, we can also purchase virtual assets, such as virtual goods or virtual real estate, with our virtual currencies or sell them if we do not want to own them anymore.
- Immersive interaction: Currently people can only use traditional 2D screens to interact with others through the Internet, while Metaverse can bring you into a 3D virtual world where you can talk or work with each other just like face-to-face by using 3D avatars, making communication more immersive.
Capabilities of Apple Vision Pro
- Immersive experience: As the best mixed-reality (MR) device, Apple Vision Pro has 4K resolution, advanced chips, sensors, a spatial audio system, and an eye-tracking system, and people can get the best immersive virtual experience ever, such as virtual video calls, 3D online shopping, 3D movies, etc. Therefore, although Apple Vision Pro focuses on recreation and productivity, it still lays a solid foundation for realising the Metaverse.
- Millions of applications provided by the Apple ecosystem: There are more than 1000 applications specifically designed for Apple Vision Pro, and millions of iOS and Mac OS applications compatible with the Vision Pro (Perez, 2024). Therefore, users can do almost every online activity just like using an iPhone, but with an immersive experience.
Does Apple Vision Pro realize the Metaverse?
To fully achieve the goal of Metaverse far exceeds the ability of current technology, and this is why Zuckerberg announced that Meta’s focus is shifting from Metaverse to Gen AI (Bhattacharya, 2023). However, it does not mean Metaverse is worthless anymore, and we need to wait for the advancement of technologies to meet the requirements of the Metaverse.
In my opinion, Apple Vision Pro partly realises the Metaverse. Although it has some shortcomings, such as its heavy weight, short battery life, etc, as the first version of Vision Pro, it can already provide an excellent immersive and interactive experience, which is the core goal of the Metaverse. As for other features of Metaverse, such as virtual identity, assets, etc, these are part of the business strategies of different companies. Apple does not have to follow all of Meta’s rules to build its virtual world. However, the current Vision Pro is not mature and still needs improvement to let users have a seamless experience across platforms and applications. In addition, unlike Metaverse, an open platform where people can have seamless experiences across platforms, Apple’s closed system makes it unlikely to have a similar experience. Moreover, few people have tried it because of its expensive price, and the lack of a user base is a significant factor in failing to realize the goal of Metaverse.
Future prospect
I am quite optimistic about the development of Metaverse. Although we do not have to strictly follow the roles or plans that Meta has given us, the core aim of Metaverse is about how we communicate and collaborate and this is fairly valuable. Metaverse could be a new technology revolution that improves overall social productivity. While Vision Pro cannot function across platforms, Apple takes the first substantial step towards the ultimate goal.
Conclusion
Apple Vision Pro provides an extraordinary immersive experience to users, bringing us closer to the Metaverse, but there is still a long way to fully realise the Metaverse’s goal. We need further technological advancements and a broader user base. However, it is still a significant step and reduces the time we wait for the Metaverse.
References
Tucci, L. (2024, March 22). What is the metaverse? An explanation and in-depth guide. WhatIs. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-metaverse-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know
Perez, S. (2024, February 14). Apple’s Vision Pro now has over 1,000 apps specifically designed for the new device. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/apples-vision-pro-now-has-over-1000-apps-specifically-designed-for-the-new-device/
Bhattacharya, A. (2023, March 14). Meta’s “year of efficiency” means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI. Quartz. https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-2023-jobs-metaverse-ai-1850196575
In my opinion not only the capabilities and design are part of the problem for the MetaVerse not being what Mark has in his mind, but also the prices of the current available equipment makes the MetaVerse not attainable to all.
By making less of a cost barrier the user base (especially children and teens) will vary and increase and thus also stimulate further advancements within the quality and eventually a open system.
Yes, definitely. I totally agree with you. I only mentioned that the Vision Pro is so expensive and I forgot to say that the common VR/AR devices are also not cheap, though they are cheaper compared to the Vision Pro. And that is definitely one of the significant factors avoiding the success of Metaverse.