Apple’s Vision Pro headset reveals Metaverse trade-offs for ‘spatial computing’

Apple’s newly unveiled mixed reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, turned the heads of tech enthusiasts and raised eyebrows after its unveiling at WWDC on June 5.

However, there was one glaring omission from the launch – one reference to the word “metaverse”.

The tech company seems to have taken deliberate steps to call its technology its first “spatial computer.” It will launch in the US in early 2024, at a whopping $3,499 retail price, and will be released in other countries soon after.

The announcement is a steady step away from Microsoft’s Hololens and Meta headphones, which both used the term generously in comparison.

Instead, Apple’s marketing focuses on the words “spatial” and “spatial computing,” rather than words like “metaverse,” “AR,” and “VR.”

“Creating our first spatial computer required invention across nearly every aspect of the system,” noted Mike Rockwell, Apple’s vice president of Technology Development Group.

“By carefully integrating hardware and software, we have designed an independent spatial computer in a compact, wearable form factor that is the most advanced personal electronic device ever,” he said.

Back in January 2022, Bloomberg technology reporter Mark Gurman suggested via Twitter that the company had no intention of approaching the sector a la Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, particularly in terms of the metaverse concept.

“I’ve been told directly that the idea of ​​a fully virtual world where users can escape into it — like the can in Meta Platforms/Facebook’s vision of the future — is off limits to Apple,” Gorman said, adding that the company would put its focus on providing a mixed reality headset designed for use in periods. Short time for work, games, communication, etc.

Apple’s Vision Pro has both augmented reality and virtual reality capabilities, where it can make it appear as if apps have been rendered in the nearby physical space around the user or provide a fully virtual experience via modes such as immersive environments.

“With VisionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, Vision Pro allows users to interact with digital content in a way that appears to be physically present in their space,” the announcement reads.

Related: Tim Cook says Apple will integrate AI into products while researchers work out the problem of bias

The anticipation about Apple’s new headset had some investors hoping that metaverse-related tokens would see an explosive rally; However, a new SEC lawsuit that same day appears to have dampened the optimism about metaverse-related tokens.

According to CoinGecko, top-ranked Online Computer (ICP) is down 9.5% over the past 24 hours, while second and third place The Sandbox (SAND) and Decentraland (MANA) are also down 12.7% and 11.2% each.

Moving down the list, there are no notable projects with positive price movement during this time frame, with the total market capitalization of metaverse tokens down 10% to $7.7 billion over the past 24 hours.

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