Mark Zuckerberg takes veiled shots at Apple after releasing $1,499 VR headset - CNBC

Mark Zuckerberg connected Tuesday hinted that helium sees Apple arsenic Meta's main rival successful virtual and augmented reality, which it calls the "metaverse."

The remarks came aft the Meta CEO unveiled the company's latest virtual world headset, the $1,499 Quest Pro. Without naming Apple — arsenic helium has avoided doing successful the past — helium said that competitors were focused connected gathering choky power implicit a VR level that would fastener consumers into a peculiar operating system.

"In each procreation of computing, there's been an unfastened ecosystem and a closed ecosystem, determination was Windows and Mac, past Android and iOS," Zuckerberg said. "Closed ecosystems absorption connected choky power and integration to make unsocial experiences and fastener in. Although astir of that worth ends up flowing to the level implicit time."

Zuckerberg's remarks reflector Facebook's ongoing complaints with however Apple manages the App Store for iPhones and iPads. The lone mode to instal apps connected Apple's iPhone is done the App Store, forcing companies similar Facebook to taxable its bundle for support with Apple's App Review department, and taking betwixt 15% and 30% of each integer sales.

Facebook has chafed against this regularisation successful the past, and Zuckerberg has accused Apple of preventing Facebook from adding features to its apps.

Facebook changed its firm sanction to Meta past year, and the larger institution is present focusing connected virtual world and computer-generated virtual worlds, known arsenic the "metaverse," to spark its adjacent procreation of growth. The institution has warned it could instrumentality until the 2030s earlier the metaverse starts to make important revenue.

Zuckerberg said Meta is focusing connected an "open ecosystem" that would stock the upside of caller metaverse exertion with much developers and companies.

"I spot our relation is not conscionable helping to physique this unfastened ecosystem, but making definite that the unfastened ecosystem wins retired successful this adjacent procreation of the internet," Zuckerberg said, saying that Meta hopes to spouse with a wide scope of companies.

The remarks are the latest motion of firm hostility betwixt Apple and Facebook arsenic they some put heavy successful processing virtual world and augmented world headsets.

Apple not released a VR headset nor confirmed 1 is successful the works, but expert and property reports accidental the iPhone shaper is preparing to merchandise a VR instrumentality with the quality to pass done video from exterior cameras to interior high-definition screens successful existent clip — the aforesaid header diagnostic connected the Quest Pro.

Zuckerberg sees virtual world and augmented world arsenic the commencement of a caller level that could supplant the smartphone eventually. If Meta ends up with a important marketplace stock successful head-worn computers and they instrumentality disconnected and go a mainstream device, past Meta volition nary longer beryllium constrained by Apple's "closed ecosystem" policies.

Meta has besides sparred with Apple implicit a caller level privateness alteration that makes it harder for Facebook to connection targeted advertising, which Zuckerberg previously said outgo the institution $10 billion.

Meta said connected Tuesday that it believes that the eventual signifier of virtual oregon augmented world would beryllium a brace of glasses that would let entree to virtual worlds portion being lightweight and having a day-long artillery beingness — and that the institution is actively moving connected this device.

"The cardinal technologies crossed the stack to physique augmented world glasses are coming together. We've got displays, sensors, silicon, AI, and more," Zuckerberg said.