Apple is going to win the VR/AR/MR war vs. Meta. Apple simply has more elements it can leverage across its ecosystem to deliver a superior user experience delivered through its forthcoming headset (June 2023). Microsoft will be a bigger VR/AR/MR player than META in due time given the combination of its Productivity apps (perfect for AR/MR) and Xbox ecosystem – particularly after the Activision deal closes. Don’t forget Google. Google Maps and Google Lens are perfect for AR/MR. YouTube is a wildcard that may leverage AR/MR and VR. Google’s Productivity apps are also perfectly positioned to leverage AR/MR. I question Google’s ability to do so through a quality headset. Google’s Pixel phone will be the near-term delivery device for AR/MR experiences. Fully immersive VR experiences will require a quality, affordable headset.
Apple Hardware: Apple’s mixed reality headset will come with an M2 chip and the fact is that Apple has more financial resources that it may deploy toward chip development as compared to Meta. This gap in chip design / architecture will widen over time in Apple’s favor.
Apple Software: Nobody combines software & hardware better than Apple. Apple excels at developing device-specific software that creates superior user experiences.
Apple Content: From video games to movies/TV to live sports to productivity apps to retail – you name it – Apple’s ecosystem is second to none. Over time as Apple’s headset gains traction, content creators and producers will deliver content that is optimized for virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality experiences.