Apple and Meta are confronted with an array of business wearables, virtual reality glasses, and household equipment.
According to Bloomberg, during the past decade, Apple and Google have been “rivals” in the fields of smartphones, mobile operating systems, web services… However, the next decade could mark the rivalry. competition between Apple and Meta, formerly Facebook.
The CEOs of these two companies have been “fighting” with each other for a long time over privacy issues. Tim Cook criticized the way Mark Zuckerberg handles user information, and Apple itself has developed privacy and features health that industry observers say are targeting Meta. For its part, Meta condemns the policy on the App Store, specifically the expensive commission fees and Apple’s stance on mobile games and virtual events.
But the real battle between the two Silicon Valley giants will revolve around virtual reality products, smartwatches, home devices, and digital services, and how each defines the “metaverse” ” (virtual multiverse).
Meta failed in the segment smartphone, just like what Amazon did after the Fire Phone fell, Meta started looking for new areas, and that is the potential virtual reality glasses market. In 2014, Mark Zuckerberg’s company bought Oculus for $2 billion.
Meta has been shipping VR headsets for years, but 2022 is the time for the market to heat up, both in terms of hardware capabilities and competition.
Last month, Meta introduced the Project Cambria mixed reality headset, which combines virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The Cambria glasses have more modern processors, sensors, and lenses than previous Meta devices.
Apple also plans to launch a mixed reality device similar to the Meta next year, the price is expected to be in the $2,000 range. The two glasses of Apple and Meta will likely be direct competitors in the market.
As Apple enters the realm of Meta, Meta is also entering the world of Apple smartwatches. Meta is working on its own smartwatch, which could launch early next year. The company also plans three generations of products, seemingly wanting to challenge Apple for years to come.
The Meta smartwatch will feature something that the Apple Watch doesn’t have, which is a video calling camera.
On the other hand, health monitoring is the “eating point” feature on Apple smartwatches. Recently, Meta is also looking to bring physical features into virtual reality products, allowing users to wear VR equipment and exercise at the same time.
So don’t be surprised if one day Apple launches a service that allows users to exercise while wearing VR glasses to confront Meta.
Next is the home appliance sector, although both companies have not been deeply involved, this could be an important “battlefield” in the future.
Meta introduced its Portal video chat device three years ago, has redesigned several products, released new models to combine with TVs, and recently launched the battery-powered mobile Portal Go. Meta is far from being able to compete with Amazon and Google in this area, but Bloomberg believes that Portal Go has great potential in the future.
On the other hand, Apple only has HomePod smart speaker products in the home device segment, along with the HomeKit platform. But the “apple house” is testing a device that combines a speaker, a TV with a camera, as well as a smart speaker with a screen, similar to Portal or Amazon Echo Show.