Apple Silent on Metaverse During Latest Announcement

Apple recently unveiled its mixed-reality headset called Vision Pro, a virtual- and augmented-reality headset priced at $3,499. While the company presented it as an engaging, immersive, infinite canvas, unlike its rivals, Apple did not mention the metaverse during the product launch. The metaverse is a digital universe that most tech companies are racing to create as the future of computing. However, the concept has not been easy to crack, and some companies who bet heavily on it have had costly financial and reputational losses. Instead of following its rivals’ footsteps, Apple seems to have rooted its headset in the real world, positioning it as the natural successor or companion to the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, predicts that the headset will account for 10% of all Apple’s sales in 2030, and the company may jeopardize any success by mentioning the metaverse, which has become a PR flop. While the high price tag on the headset makes it a developer’s toy for now, it may stimulate significant experimentation once it becomes available next year.