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The tech sphere is enthusiastic as Apple readies its ambitious Vision Pro launch. But amid the whispers of Apple’s newest product, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, seeks to remind the world about the existing reality and vast potential of the metaverse.
Departing from its futuristic, sci-fi depictions, the tech giant recently unveiled a new campaign to emphasize the present-day applications of virtual reality (VR).
Meta’s New Pitch: VR Is Now
Meta’s recent ad campaign diverges significantly from its earlier futuristic depictions of the metaverse. Instead of presenting a distant sci-fi dream, the new advertisements portray VR as an immediate, tangible, and useful technology.
Highlighted in the campaign, dubbed “The Impact Is Real,” scenes showcase welders honing their skills with virtual metals. It also shows doctors practicing surgeries on virtual eyeballs, and soccer star Marcus Rashford using VR for rehab.
The new campaign is designed to capture a broader audience, signaling that the metaverse is not just for gaming. Instead, Meta wants to educate the world about the metaverse being an important tool for real-world applications.
Rob Sherman, Meta’s VP at Reality Labs, expressed a pressing need to reshape perceptions around VR. Aiming to break preconceived notions, Meta hopes to spur the interest of software developers across sectors who might not have previously contemplated the potential of VR and augmented reality (AR) beyond gaming.
“This is a technology that exists now, it is not science fiction. It is important for us to be transparent and help people see what our vision is, so they can anticipate it and participate,” Sherman emphasized.
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These efforts intend to convince the general public and business magnates, governments, and other stakeholders of the need to ground the metaverse’s possibilities in the present.
The Metaverse Battle: Meta vs. Apple
The strategic shift in Meta’s promotional strategy comes at a time when Apple’s Vision Pro is poised to grab headlines. Apple’s foray into the augmented and virtual reality scene promises to be groundbreaking but also magnifies the race for metaverse supremacy.
Both Meta’s Horizon Worlds app and its Quest headsets have, thus far, seen underwhelming reception. Adopting rates have remained slow despite heavily investing in marketing the metaverse concept.
Greg Kahn, a seasoned investor in media and technology, observed:
“Meta had really come out initially with a big push that felt futuristic, and I think realized that the market particularly here in the US is not quite ready for the vision that they painted.”
Read more: What Is the Metaverse? The Digital World of the Future
However, Apple’s Vision Pro, even before its launch, has stirred both excitement and skepticism. The tech giant’s confidence seems unwavering.
Susan Prescott, Apple’s VP of worldwide developer relations, indicated positive feedback from developers to the online resources, loan programs, and “compatibility evaluations” Apple has implemented.
“We don’t just want to have a lot of apps available for Vision Pro — we want them to work great,” Prescott emphasized.
Apple hopes that showcasing the possibilities of Vision Pro, from immersive movie experiences to reliving memories in 3D, will attract a vast array of developers to its platform.
Meta’s shift in marketing strategy, when contrasted with Apple’s foray into VR, highlights the significant real-world impacts of the metaverse. While Apple is working to entice developers to its platform, Meta’s campaign appeals directly to sectors that have yet to realize VR’s potential, from medical training to sports rehab.
“I do not think it is a question of trying to convince people that this is a great form factor. I think it is showing people how amazing these experiences are and that this platform is able to deliver them. [Achieving that will] drive adoption and drive people’s enthusiasm for this platform,” said Steve Sinclair, senior director of product marketing for Apple Vision Pro.
The Road Ahead
The future of the metaverse is, without a doubt, a shared one. The overarching goal remains the same with Meta and Apple throwing their hats in the ring. Essentially, these companies want to usher in a new age where the lines between reality and the virtual blur.
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Meta’s rebranding from Facebook was, in many ways, its bet on this future. With Apple’s Vision Pro entering the scene, the company’s new ad campaign seems an essential reminder that the metaverse is a reality.
As technology advances, it is worth noting that the metaverse is already here. Whether experienced through Apple’s Vision Pro or Meta’s suite of tools, this emerging landscape offers opportunities and challenges that will shape the future.
The race is on, and as these tech giants vie for metaverse dominance, consumers and industries stand to benefit.