Dharshini Karthikeyan - Week 12 - The Power of Technology: Meta and Apple’s New Rivalry

 It’s interesting to live in a world where virtual reality, augmented reality, spacial computing, and artificial intelligence are rapidly improving as we speak. From the Meta Quest 3 to the Apple Vision Pro, the topic of spacial computing is becoming more and more prevalent, and because of this, it’s important to evaluate the impacts new technology has on our lives. 


It’s impossible to focus on all the spacial computing research being done today, so I’ll focus on Meta’s Meta Quest and Apple’s Vision Pro. The Vision Pro and Meta Quest are similar products: they’re both VR headsets that can be used for gaming, work, and entertainment purposes. The first Meta Quest came out in 2019, called Oculus Quest. While the product was advanced for its time, it didn’t gain much traction, and the only people buying these VR headsets were gamers. Meta did not focus on rapid improvement as much as they should have, since the Meta Quest has since then become an “entry-level” VR headset. Apple recently released their VR headset, the Vision Pro, on February 2, 2024, not even a month ago. While the product is still new, and sells for about five times the cost of the Meta Quest, it was able to sell out withing the first few days, and its current waitlist is a two month wait for the product. Despite it’s ability to sell out, many critics debate on whether or not the Vision Pro was a success. Some argue that the Vision Pro was “destined to fail” because of how “it lacked a true purpose,” while others argue that the Vision Pro is “Apple’s Rennaissance” and Cupertino has already seen “clear success” with the product. 

    


                                  image : https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fapple-vision-pro%2F&psig=AOvVaw1HUbVYELrFMEMCecT5M3PU&ust=1709224542361000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=2ahUKEwiT5ePeu86EAxW8PEQIHXRaBfYQr4kDegQIARBE           

The reception of the Vision Pro and the Meta Quest show how VR is still a controversial topic in our society, despite how fast it’s moving. It’s important to recognize that new improvements are being made to AI and augmented reality every day, and will soon become a defining feature in technology. 


Technology is evolving faster than we can comprehend in today’s world, and fields such as spacial computing and VR have immense power because of this. 

article: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/virtual-reality 


Comments

  1. Kushi SharmaMarch 6, 2024 at 7:02 PM

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  2. Kushi SharmaMarch 6, 2024 at 7:08 PM

    Hi Dharshini! I don't know much about Apple or these devices, but I agree with the idea that spacial computing is becoming increasingly prevalent and, in turn, increasingly relevant to peoples' everyday lives. While the development of spacial computing was the main focus of your blog, I think this situation also speaks to the impact of marketing and advertising in this capitalist system in which capital goods are owned by big businesses (and individuals). Meta failed to capitalize on their product and Apple did not, resulting in Apple's commercial success and Meta's commercial failure, in addition to the fact that Meta is slowly decreasing in relevance in today's society. This feud between Apple and Meta is an example of billion dollar corporations that prioritize profit above all else fighting even each other towards this end.

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  3. Bill WangMarch 6, 2024 at 8:11 PM

    Hi Dharshini! As "momentum" behind the growth and development of computer science continues to grow, the rate at which innovations occur will continue to accelerate. While the apple vision and oculus quest may not have broken into mainstream culture, at the rate of growth that we are seeing in technological advancements, everyone may eventually be owning one, just like how the touchscreen phones were not an immediate success. However, there are factors that may lend to the delay, or even the prevention of popularization of VR headsets. For one, the price set by apple for their Vision Pro is too high. Not only is it not yet popular, but the incredibly high price may prevent it from the common man needing to use it, especially since everyone already owns a phone and laptop. In addition, its existence as an accessory, and a very large one at that, make it so that users may feel awkward using it in public, as it is far from normalized and looks very much like a clunky set of goggles than a tool. Those who do use it are seen as geeks or rich, perhaps lending more obstacles for the entrance of VR into mainstream usage. Overall, while the usage of VR will undeniably grow, the extent to which it does should be heavily contested by the many obstacles that the product will face.

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