The metaverse is “off-limits” for Apple

As Meta and other companies make their bets on the impending metaverse, Apple, with their upcoming mixed reality headset, is allegedly not following this trend. As industries and products follow what Apple does, what will this mean for the metaverse?

Apple will not focus on the metaverse

The long-awaited mixed reality headset from Apple is said to lift its shrouded veil this year. However, as Meta and other companies far and wide bang on the metaverse drum, Apple is reported to take a different approach. This, if true, will throw a wrench into the industry in that whatever “Apple does – industries follow”.

The Bloomberg technology reporter, Mark Gurman, from a Power On newsletter states that he has been told, by Apple, that “the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to… is off limits from Apple.” (See the picture below Mark Gurman’s Twitter)

Alternatively, the upcoming Apple headset will be for “bursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption,” not “an all-day device.”

This comes as quite a knock against the metaverse, as Epic Games completed its $1 billion round of funding to build its metaverse. Digital real estate investment linked to the metaverse is soaring, and Facebook/Meta’s interest and pivot towards the metaverse need no introduction by now. 

The rumours about Apple up until now

The new Apple head-mounted display wrapped in speculation and leaks have gotten many such rumours, a series of which we have reported on, which since September was:

• Type: The headset will be a mixed reality head-mounted display.
• Computing power: Previously, the Apple headset was believed to be connected to an iPhone for it to work, expecting the iPhone to handle the heavy computation. Which was then rebuttled by the well-known analyst Ming-chi Kuo who predicted that the new headset would come installed with the capable Apple in-house-built M1-chip for unparalleled processing power.
• Tracking: Similarly, the MR headset is said to have inside-out tracking, from an advanced LiDAR system, eliminating the need for controllers by tracking in real-time the user’s hands.
• Display: the same Kuo also reported that it would feature 4K micro-OLED displays manufactured by Sony.
• Operating System: the headset would likely run on an Apple-developed standalone software called rOS to keep the headset within its Walled Garden Ecosystem like every other Apple product.
• Launch: Mass production supply chain indications in Taiwan and China hint at a Q4 2022 release date.
• Pricing: Like every other Apple product, the new headset is believed to be priced at a premium of $3,000.

Conclusion

The highly anticipated and much-rumoured mixed reality HMD from Apple will be “off-limits” from the metaverse, stated by Apple to a Bloomberg technology reporter. A telling turn of events that will change the trajectory of the metaverse, as industries and innovations follow Apple wherever they go.