The mixed-reality headset market is witnessing a surge in competition with the entry of Apple's Vision Pro and Meta's Quest 3. Both tech giants are leveraging their unique strengths to attract customers, with Apple {{ m-tag option="price" ticker="AAPL" currency="USD" }} emphasizing technical excellence and Meta capitalizing on its expansive gaming ecosystem.
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Apple's Technical Prowess: The Vision Pro
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Apple's latest offering, the Vision Pro, has been designed to focus on comfort. This move comes in response to feedback regarding neck strain issues experienced by users of its predecessor. The Vision Pro has a high-resolution camera and a powerful M2 chip, reflecting Apple's commitment to technical superiority.

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Meta's Quest for Affordability:
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On the other hand, Meta {{ m-tag option="price" ticker="META" currency="USD" }} has set an aggressive pricing strategy for its upcoming Quest 3, which will retail at $499. In addition to this competitive pricing, the company is considering further cost reductions. These could be achieved by unbundling hand controllers or introducing hand gesture controls.
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Strategic Divergence: Apple vs. Meta
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These developments indicate a strategic divergence between Apple and Meta in their approach to capturing market share in the mixed-reality headset sector. While Apple is banking on its technological prowess to draw customers, Meta is betting on its extensive gaming ecosystem and affordability.

Apple Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are on the cusp of launching new mixed-reality headsets, but work is already well underway on next-generation models. A key focus for Apple is making its device more comfortable to wear, while Meta is looking to reduce the price of future products.

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Pricing Dynamics: The Quest 3 vs. Vision Pro
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Though the upcoming Quest 3 will sell for a fraction of the Vision Pro's price, it's still $200 more expensive than Meta's prior model. The company would like to return the cost to the previous $300 level.

The work to address both these issues is happening behind the scenes, even as the companies scramble to get current devices out the door. The Quest 3 goes on sale this month, while Apple is readying the Vision Pro for release sometime early next year.

As this showdown looms, there's confidence within Apple that it has the superior product. However, there are concerns about whether consumers will see a need for the device, especially at its current $3,500 price.

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Meta's Gaming Ecosystem: A Unique Selling Point
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The feeling within Meta is different. The company believes it has the better gaming ecosystem, making the headset far more appealing to mainstream shoppers.

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.

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Marketing Strategies: From Metaverse to Gaming
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Already, Meta has retooled its strategy to be more like Apple's. The device is now marketed as a tool for gaming and productivity apps, while Apple is taking the same approach with the Vision Pro.

The Quest 3 has its merits. It's an improvement over the Quest 2 in nearly every way except for price. The device feels considerably faster and less cumbersome and has an elegant approach to mixed reality.

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Future Plans: Meta's Aggressive Pricing Strategy
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For next year, Meta is planning a cheaper mixed-reality headset that resembles the Quest 3 but uses less costly components. Meta would then reposition the Quest 3 as its mid-tier offering.

Work on the next Vision Pro remains early, but the company hopes to make the device lighter or slightly smaller. Apple is considering addressing this on the first model with an over-the-head strap, but making the hardware lighter is a better long-term solution.

Another challenge is making the headset more straightforward for people who wear glasses. Apple decided to slim down the device by omitting room for prescription eyeglasses, teaming up with Zeiss to sell prescription lenses that attach magnetically to the headset's displays.

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The Long-Term Vision: AR vs. Mixed Reality
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In the long run, many of these problems could be solved by shifting from mixed reality to standalone augmented reality. Apple and Meta see this as the future, but the technology still needs to be discovered.

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Conclusion: 

As for Apple and Meta, the battle for mixed-reality dominance is just beginning. Both companies have unique strengths and weaknesses, and the market is eagerly awaiting to see which strategy will be the most effective.

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