The metaverse, a VR playground Mark Zuckerberg is forcing down everyone’s throats, might threaten to consume us all over the next few years. However, it seems Apple CEO Tim Cook isn’t buying what Zuck is selling yet.
That’s if Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is to be believed, anyway.
Gurman wrote in his weekly Power On newsletter that Apple won’t participate in the metaverse zeitgeist, most recently accelerated by Meta, even with plans to release its own mixed reality headset possibly as soon as this year. The excerpt in question is in the subscribers-only section of the newsletter, but Gurman shared it for everyone on Twitter.
“I’ve been told pretty directly that the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to — like they can in Meta Platforms/Facebook’s vision of the future — is off limits from Apple,” Gurman wrote.
He went on to say that Apple wants the headset to be used for “bursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption” rather than lengthy VR excursions like the ones Meta seems intent on bringing to the world.
Apple’s currently unconfirmed and unnamed headset is said to have two 8K displays as well as a significant focus on augmented reality. In other words, Apple plans on users spending more time looking at the real world around them than an Oculus Quest allows, lending some credence to Gurman’s prediction.
Though we have yet to hear a firm “no” from Apple itself, the company’s stance, as described by Gurman, would be an encouraging one for anyone who’s suspicious of big tech’s metaverse push. Now you’ve got at least one big tech titan on your side. They’ll still try to sell you an expensive cyber helmet, but at least you probably won’t wear it for all your work meetings.