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It may be the future of computing, but it's not the one I want, "said Thursday the boss of Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Mark Zuckerberg, about Apple's new mixed reality headset, during a meeting with employees, according to the specialized site The Verge. On Monday, Apple presented an ultra-sophisticated virtual and augmented reality headset, the first foray of the Apple brand on this field largely dominated until now by its neighbor Meta.
A few days before, Mark Zuckerberg had announced the upcoming release of Quest 3. This new model of mixed reality headset will be marketed from $ 500 in the fall, against $ 3500 for Apple's Vision Pro in 2024. Quest headsets allow people to "interact in new ways and feel closer," while "being active and doing things," the boss assured his employees, as an example of "difference in value and vision" with his rival. Apple's demo videos, they "showed a person sitting on his couch alone," continued the executive.
See alsoThe Vision Pro headset revives the rivalry between Apple and Meta
Virtual but realistic worlds
At the end of 2021, Facebook became Meta with the idea of becoming a metaverse company, described by Mark Zuckerberg as the future of the internet, after the web and mobile. But the presentation of Apple's headset impressed many observers, especially thanks to the wheel that allows you to adjust the degree of opacity of the screen, to move smoothly from augmented reality (AR, superimposition of virtual elements on reality) to virtual reality (VR, complete immersion).
Users will be able to remain present in their physical environment. And in virtual universes, they will be represented by an ultra-realistic avatar. According to CNBC, Mark Zuckerberg also spoke Thursday of upcoming advances in generative artificial intelligence, the darling of Silicon Valley. "We will play a unique and important role in the industry by bringing these technologies to billions of users with new tools that no one else will have," promised the boss, according to the US business channel.
Microsoft and Google have taken the lead in this AI capable of generating all kinds of texts and images on simple query in everyday language. Meta plans to give Instagram users the ability to edit photos this way, and also include advanced chatbots on its Messenger and WhatsApp messengers, notes CNBC. It was the first in-person general meeting at the group's Menlo Park headquarters since 2020.
