By James Davis
Tech giant Apple will launch its high-end mixed-reality headset after a long development period later this year. The headset launch will be the first Apple’s major step into the metaverse.
Several reports indicate that the tech firm will unveil the product before its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which usually happens in June. Surprisingly, several third-party developers have started building apps for this mixed-reality headset.
How Much Will Apple’s Mixed-Reality Headset Cost?
According to Bloomberg, the headset’s name is Reality Pro, and its operating system will be called XrOS. Furthermore, the Realty Pro is expected to be a premium device retailing from $3,000. This price tag is twice the cost of Quest Pro, a Meta mixed-reality headset that sells at $1,500.
It’s evident that the Reality Pro price is way above its main rival, but it could be worth every penny. That said, numerous reports indicate that Apple’s headset will be a powerful standalone headset, which means it won’t require any phone or computer.
Many describe the metaverse as a next-generation internet, experienced through avatars within 3D settings. Also, the metaverse is seen as a hub for playing, working, and gaming. Tech giants like Meta and Apple are actively working towards actualizing their respective metaverse visions.
Tech Firms and Web3 Developers Differ in Their Views of the Internet’s Future
Web3 developers and tech firms disagree on how they consider the future of the internet. Usually, in Web3 space, builders imagine interoperable and open spaces that share functionalities in the form of user-owned Non-Fungible Token (NFT) assets.
These NFT assets can be accessories, avatars, and apparel. So whether Meta will develop its metaverse with Web3 technology remains to be seen. Moreover, Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, said that a compatible and open metaverse was good for everyone.
However, Meta’s approach will likely be via standards shared between tech firms and developers, not Web3 infrastructure. As for Apple, its closed-walled garden software ecosystem is not compatible with the Web3 concept of a metaverse.
Apple, however, may revise the approach considering the recent reports that the tech firm will soon let iPad and iPhone users install apps from third-party sources to comply with the ever-changing European Union regulations.