Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Again Disparages Apple Vision Pro

[MacRumors]

Shortly after the Vision Pro launched, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that he believes the Quest 3 is the better VR headset, and over the weekend, he again took to Threads to reiterate his belief that the $3,500 Vision Pro is inferior to the $500 Quest 3 (via 9to5Mac).

Analyst Benedict Evans said that the Vision Pro is the "device Meta wants to reach in 3-5 years," and that it is confusing that Meta VR engineers have suggested the Vision Pro is "basically just the same thing" as the Quest. In response, Zuckerberg said that the Quest "is better" than the Vision Pro now, and that if the Meta Quest has the "motion blur," weight, or "lack of precision inputs" as the Vision Pro in the future, then Meta will have "regressed significantly."

I don't think we're saying the devices are the same. We're saying Quest is better. 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. Yes, their resolution is higher, but they paid for that with many other product tradeoffs that make their device worse in most ways. That's not what we aspire to.

Zuckerberg also took offense to the Meta Quest being called "a games device," and clarified that some of the top apps on the Quest are social, browser, and video player apps.

Actually, 3 of the top 7 Quest apps are already social apps - Horizon, VR Chat, and Rec Room. Browser and video player are top apps too. Fitness isn't as high up there, but has a passionate community as well. So I think the narrative that these headsets are only for games is out of date.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.

Device weight and "motion blur" have been two points that Zuckerberg has focused on in his criticism of the Vision Pro, and he has dismissed the higher resolution of Apple's headset as unnecessary given the "tradeoffs" that he sees.

Zuckerberg in February said that the Quest 3 is superior because it is 7x less expensive than the Vision Pro, it's more comfortable, the Quest is "crisper," there are "precision controllers," and there's a "deeper" immersive content library.

Compared to the Apple Vision Pro's 4K microLED displays, the Quest 3 has two 2K LCD panels. It also weighs in at 515 grams, while the Vision Pro weighs 600 to 650 grams depending on the Light Seal combination used, and the Quest does not have a separate battery pack.

Article Link: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Again Disparages Apple Vision Pro

 

[icanhazmac]

Of course he did, VP users block his shtyle.

 

[kiensoy]

You could tell from Meta’s Keynote presentation that the Quest 3 was not just a gaming device anymore. They have had bigger ambitions for the headset more than games since a long time ago.

 

[zakarhino]

I don't think he's saying anything controversial and from his perspective he's right. If you're into the metaverse and gaming things that Meta are pushing, obviously the Quest is better. If you care more about media consumption and app experiences similar to iPad, obviously the AVP is better.

Meta's biggest problem is the software platform which Apple have a 20 year head start in. I'd take AVP over the Quest for that reason but counting Meta out is stupid.

 

[AlexStudios]

This is coming from a guy who doesn’t know what AR and privacy is meant for.

 

[boswald]

I have a feeling Meta is going to transition and evolve into something much bigger than they are now. I could be wrong (and probably am), but that’s my gut feeling.

 

[grantishere]

Don't forget Mark, you raised the price on the Quest 2 shortly after promising affordable VR when you released it.

 

[Marshall73]

The quest 3 is great for games and VR porn. The passthrough mode is a grainy mess though and it could definitely use a more powerful gpu, that said, you can run it from a PC with much better graphics. If the next vision headset from Apple is at least half the price of the Vision Pro then I’d ditch the quest in a heartbeat purely because of Meta.

 

[haunebu]

Zuckerschmuck.

 

[BBCWatcher]

$3,000 is also a big difference. A *lot* of people would spend 85% less for 85% of the experience, for example. Competition is great!

 

[hieranonymous]

He sounds bothered.

 

[Lift Bar]

Welcome to The Goggle Wars. It's a pity both sides can't lose.

 

[efktd]

What happens when Vision costs $999? I would love to wear a Vision Pro all day, but for right now, $3,500 still buys me the best Mac I'd ever own.

 

[markrogo]

7x less expensive means the Quest is -24500. I would honestly buy infinite units at that price.

 

[Light_of_Consciousness]

Would be nice if Mark were more concerned about how his company has ruined lives and made society regress. User safety and stopping the spread of misinformation would be my bigger priority. I guess the Apple Vision Pro keeps Mark up at night.

 

[haunebu]

Of course he did, any VP user is a person outside his ability to spy on.

Every single one of the cameras on that device is for surveillance. Directly and indirectly. You couldn't pay me to have that thing in my home.

 

[nfl46]

He sounds worried about the potential of the AVP. He’s truly f if and when Apple releases much cheaper version.

 

[Return Zero]

He’s way too dismissive of resolution. It’s funny because, of any type of device, AR/VR are the most dependent on visual resolution to achieve their ultimate goal: replicate or augment reality. Meta’s devices have some advantages, sure. But just like Apple did with touch screen responsiveness, they are doing with AR/VR visuals. They lead the way in making it feel actually real, and Meta is stupid for not understanding this is the #1 priority for a product like this to have widespread success long-term.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

What happens when Vision costs $999? I would love to wear a Vision Pro all day, but for right now, $3,500 still buys me the best Mac I'd ever own.

When Vpro is $999:

1. Seller is about to be arrested for trying to sell stolen goods.
2. Some poor retailer is about to be fired soon after their boss learns of their expensive (to the store) mistake.
3. It's 2031 and gen 1 used and possibly "for parts only" is on Ebay.
4. The global economy has crashed beyond all recognition and $999 is viewed like $3499 now.
5. Asian nations have cloned the look of it to a remarkable level... but it's running Android "inside"

Anyone got a few more to add to this list?

For Apple to get to a $999 price point, the chop would have to be down to maybe $300 in parts... to then accommodate Apple's fat margin and related costs of marketing, packaging, distribution, R&D, etc. $300 in parts is NOT going to buy anything remotely close to this Vpro... not even a Vision Monocle SE.

 

[victorvictoria]

Lord knows, no one loves both Apple products/services and Apple Inc. But the VisionPro is clunky-looking, heavy and really, really expensive. Meta's Quest isn't even in the same ballpark, though.

Apple Engineering is going to have to get this thing more like eyeglasses, both in size and weight, and get the cost lowered by about half. Otherwise, it's going to remain a niche product.

 

[easy4lif]

Meta dumped billions to be in the position they're in now. If Zuck all of a sudden said their device is inferior to the Vision Pro, id be the death nail in their device’s coffin.

 

[erikkfi]

 

[AHDuke99]

Even if Apple is successful with the VP, Meta can be more of the Andriod of the AR/VR world. Both can succeed.

 

[twolf2919]

So instead of saying the Meta device doesn’t have a separate battery, why don’t you simply tell us what the AVP weighs, including the battery so that it’s actually an apples-apples comparison on weight?

 

[JordanCautious]

Zuckerberg also took offense to the Meta Quest being called "a games device," and clarified that some of the top apps on the Quest are social, browser, and video player apps.

Uhh...who's gonna tell him? Last I checked, virtually all of the ads I have ever seen about the Meta Quest 3 were Game related ads. And Meta Horizons is cheeks. Soooo that sounds more like a gaming device to me