Ira Michael Blonder’s Post

A brave new world: smaller, lighter, & cheaper #mixedreality goggles stand to accelerate mainstream consumer adoption over the next 18-24 months. As Apple competes against Meta Platforms Inc with $B's in mixed reality end user devices this holiday season, we can expect their R&D investments to fuel broader #venturecapital investments into founders building ancillary applications and infrastructure to enable such adoption. Will this much funding succeed? If you ask my daughter, she loves the quest pro 2 and cannot wait for the quest 3... If you ask my colleagues at Decasonic, they believe that mainstream adoption of mixed reality (or #metaverse) is on the horizon. If there's one guide form history, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg writes: "As one person within Meta told Power On, “We’re in the ‘afraid of Apple’ stage” — not unlike how the mobile-phone industry felt just before the iPhone’s release in 2007. Already, Meta has retooled its strategy to be more like Apple’s. Rather than pitching the Quest 3 as a portal to the metaverse — Mark Zuckerberg’s much-derided vision of interconnected online worlds — the device is now marketed as a tool for gaming and productivity apps. Apple is taking the same approach with the Vision Pro. In fact, Apple’s marketing chief refuses to even use the word “metaverse.”" His full coverage is below - https://lnkd.in/e5eJxNew

Zuckerberg was recently criticized for dismissing the Apple Vision Pro, drawing comparisons to Steve Ballmer's infamous underestimation of the iPhone more than 15 years ago. I disagree with this view and believe that it's actually Tim Cook who is overlooking Meta and the Quest. I am sharing my thoughts on Apple's XR strategy, arguing that it repeats mistakes we've seen frequently over the past few years. Success isn't just about finding a great product-market fit; it's about delivering value through a cohesive ecosystem of platform, content, and users. After 10 years in the industry in China and USA, I've witnessed numerous ecosystems fail (both XR and others). Feel free to share or comment! #applevisionpro #apple #metaverse #vr #ar #ecosystem #meta #stevejobs #steveballmer #timcook #zuckerberg #mr #virtualreality #siliconvalley #uxdesign #useradoption #XRStrategy #MetaQuest #TechEcosystems #InnovationMistakes #MixedReality #TechTrends2024 #FutureOfComputing #techanalysis Antony Vitillo Eric Shamlin Chi Xu Lucas Rizzotto Adriana Vecchioli Alvin Wang Graylin Christopher Lafayette Caitlin Krause Gregg Katano Cathy Hackl Catherine D Henry Christina Lee Storm Juan Bossicard Joanna Popper Hugh Hou Raj Oswal Davy Demeyer 🌏 Nikk Mitchell Noah Zerkin Andy Van den Broeck

I am curious to see how Apple competes with Meta's newest release of the Quest 3 which in the announcement explicitly called out the device's cord feel appeal, unlike the Vision Pro which can only be used when the battery pack is attached to the device. The device's use cases are similar, but potentially in the early days the differentiation will be sedentary work and entertainment-related use cases for the Vision Pro and more active use cases for the Quest3? What are your thoughts? ⬇️💭

Mark zuckerburg is often in the news for many wrong reasons and his decisions/visions for Meta are often questioned. This time around he might actually be true. For most users Quest is a much more sensible product, as of today. Considering factors like economics, ergonomics and ecosystem readiness, Quest is a no brainer still for a vast majority of users. That being said, Apple vision pro is still in early stages and future verions might change this. It would be interesting to see how Apple's product team is planning the next versions. #quest3 #visionpro #zuckerberg #applevisionpro

Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset has hit a snag, with reports of production cuts and leadership changes. And according to Bloomberg, the company's focus is shifting towards software updates and international expansion, with plans for the Vision Pro 2 shelved until late 2026. Meanwhile, Google and Meta are strategically moving in the mixed reality space, potentially challenging Apple's dominance. The extended wait for a new Vision Pro model presents a golden opportunity for competitors, as Apple grapples with the high cost of the device. Despite holding the title of the most advanced mixed reality headset, it remains to be seen how Apple responds to the changing landscape and maintains its position in this evolving market. #apple #google #meta #techgiants #visionpro2 #vr #ar #xr #consumerelectronics #innovation #technology #technologynews

Zuckerberg was recently criticized for dismissing the Apple Vision Pro, drawing comparisons to Steve Ballmer's infamous underestimation of the iPhone more than 15 years ago. I disagree with this view and believe that it's actually Tim Cook who is overlooking Meta and the Quest. I am sharing my thoughts on Apple's XR strategy, arguing that it repeats mistakes we've seen frequently over the past few years. Success isn't just about finding a great product-market fit; it's about delivering value through a cohesive ecosystem of platform, content, and users. After 10 years in the industry in China and USA, I've witnessed numerous ecosystems fail (both XR and others). Feel free to share or comment! #applevisionpro #apple #metaverse #vr #ar #ecosystem #meta #stevejobs #steveballmer #timcook #zuckerberg #mr #virtualreality #siliconvalley #uxdesign #useradoption #XRStrategy #MetaQuest #TechEcosystems #InnovationMistakes #MixedReality #TechTrends2024 #FutureOfComputing #techanalysis https://lnkd.in/gHFK6Xf7

Apple vs. Meta XR strategy TLDR from Mark Gurman's Bloomberg article: - Apple’s VR headset doesn't work with prescription glasses. Their short term solution, magnetic prescription inserts from Zeiss. According to Hamish Hector https://lnkd.in/eqmSjZdz at TechRadar, their long-term solution may be liquid lenses to deliver custom prescriptions. They filed a patent for ‘liquid lenses’ using electronic signals to refractively alter the liquid in the lenses.  - The 1-lb Vision Pro has caused neck strain. The fix: an over-the-head strap, like the Meta Quest lineup already offers. - ‘Meta told Power On, “We’re in the ‘afraid of Apple’ stage”’ - Meta’s strategy now looks a lot more like Apple’s. They have shifted away from Zuckerber’s ‘portal to the metaverse’ vision and more about ‘gaming and productivity.’ - Apple refuses to use the word ‘metaverse.’ - Meta plans for 3 models: A cheaper Quest 3 with low-end components and no controllers, a Quest 3, and an improved Quest Pro - Meta’s Quest 3 is 1/7 the price of Apple’s VisionPro. Early reviews of the Quest 3 are quite favorable. - $3,499 remains a very high price if the primary appeal is the gaming consumer. - Hand gestures in the VisionPro and Quest3 do not work well with the virtual keyboard. A bluetooth keyboard with either headset is necessary.  - Meta and Apple’s visions for AR glasses has been elusive because of unsolved technology hurdles. My opinion - Training, learning, productivity and the replacement of desktop displays are the big opportunities. What do you think?  #apple #meta #quest3 #visionpro #spatialcomputing #augmentedreality #virtualreality #arvr #immersive #xr https://lnkd.in/e_7PQcGS

I've spent an afternoon and evening with the Apple Vision Pro. I have thoughts. This is the best Augmented Reality I've experienced. It's much better than the Meta Quest 3, but it's not quite as magical as the ads depict. The displays are the best ever used for AR/VR, but they're still displays. It reminds me of the iPhone Retina Display when that arrived on the scene. It was amazing you could no longer see pixels, but you didn't think it was paper when reading an article. Same vibe here, it's very, very good, but it's not reality. Using eye-tracking as an input device gets fatiguing. Having to look at interface elements, especially when you need to also look at a second windows for reference is frustrating. Putting in an MFA code in a password prompt is mildly infuriating as your eyes dash between the code and the keypad you have to look at to input the code. It's cool you can leave apps in a different room, until you want to use them. Like, get over here Outlook. I wish you could pin apps to your personal space, and they'd follow you around. #applevisionpro

This exciting news from Apple about the new Vision Pro headset coming in February. What I am reading is a huge demand for fiber internet services! These great advances in technology also showcase the need for advanced internet speeds, specifically symmetrical speeds, meaning the same speeds both downloading and uploading data! Fiber allows this to happen. Fiber is also the technology that will allow the next generation of computing and gaming. The future is Quantum and it will take fiber to get us there. When you look back on the last 20 years, it is mind-blowing how quickly things are changing. What's really crazy is...we are just getting started! #fiberinternet #i3broadband #quantum

https://lnkd.in/e6RGe5kc "The Quest 3 is the easiest recommendation for now, but Apple's hardware is going to be the shape of the where the landscape is heading in the years to come." #ExtendedReality #VirtualReality #ImmersiveLearning