| Today's Metaverse brief: - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, criticized Apple's new Vision Pro, favoring his company's cheaper Quest 3 headset.
- The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure launched the Big Data Ecosystem and Digital Twin Platform at the World Governments Summit 2024.
- Meta has settled a lawsuit with Immersion, a Florida-based company specializing in haptic feedback technology.
Thank you! Vildana
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| 1 | | Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, criticized Apple's new Vision Pro headset, favoring his company's cheaper Quest 3 headset for its better value and performance. Zuckerberg's review using a Quest 3 headset highlighted the Quest 3's advantages in weight, content library, field of view, and lack of wires while noting the Vision Pro's drawbacks. More: - Zuckerberg believes Quest 3, priced at $499, excels in most MR applications.
- Despite Vision Pro's higher resolution, he pointed out its device quality, comfort, and ergonomics compromises.
- Zuckerberg critiqued Apple's approach to computing, contrasting open and closed models in technology.
- Vision Pro has received mixed reviews, praised by some like James Cameron but criticized by others.
- Meta dominates the VR headset market, with Quest 2 and Quest Pro accounting for nearly 80% of the 8.8 million units sold in 2022.
Zoom Out: - Apple sold ~200,000 Vision Pros since pre-orders began on Jan. 19.
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What the numbers say: In 2019, Meta's Reality Labs division, focusing on AR/VR products, earned $501M in revenue. This figure grew to $1.139B in 2020 and peaked at $2.274B in 2021 before declining to $1.9B in 2023, down from $2.1B in the previous year. Relevance: Meta's Reality Labs unit reported an operating loss of $4.65B in Q4 of 2023, surpassing analysts' expectations of a $4.26B loss. Since the end of 2020, Meta's metaverse division has accumulated over $42B in losses, with Q4 marking its largest loss. Reality Labs focuses on developing VR/AR tech fundamental to the metaverse concept. The Quest family of VR headsets currently serves as the primary product line for the business. Impact: Reality Labs achieved its highest quarterly revenue in Q4 2023, generating approximately $1.07B, surpassing the billion-dollar threshold for the first time, primarily driven by Quest headsets and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Meta CFO Susan Li attributed this record-breaking revenue to the robust sales of Quest 3 following its launch on Oct. 10. According to SteamVR statistics, the Quest 3 headset quickly showed a 14% user adoption rate within three months, nearly matching the initial uptake of the more affordable Quest 2 in 2020. | | | |
| 3 | | The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure launched the Big Data Ecosystem and Digital Twin Platform at the World Governments Summit 2024. Two research papers were released exploring AI's role in energy systems and emission mitigation. More: - The Digital Twin Platform displays live, 3D model data on city livability and sustainability, including energy and water use.
- It also aids in decision-making with data on carbon footprint, traffic, demographic diversity, air quality, and waste.
- Big Data Ecosystem focuses on sustainable energy transition through data analysis and artificial intelligence.
- Both initiatives contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and optimal resource use.
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| 4 | | Meta has settled a lawsuit with Immersion, a company specializing in haptic feedback technology, concerning using touch feedback in Meta's Quest VR headsets. The settlement terms were not disclosed. More: - Immersion was founded in 1993 in Aventura, Florida, and first collaborated with Microsoft.
- Immersion owns a significant haptic feedback patent portfolio, with around 1,200 to 1,300 patents as of June 2022.
- The company has been labeled a patent troll, often litigating against major corporations.
- Immersion sued Microsoft and Sony in 2002 over game controller patents, leading to multimillion-dollar settlements.
- The company also sued Apple and Valve for patent infringements on their products.
Zoom Out: | | | |
| 5 | | A Spanish artist, Alicia Framis, is set to marry her hologram partner, AILex, this summer, marking the first AI-human marriage. The wedding features AILex, an AI hologram providing emotional support based on Alicia Framis' past relationships and preferences. More: - Hybrid relationships have gained popularity, offering alternatives to traditional human interactions.
- The rise of AI-driven products is changing the dynamics of technology in everyday life.
- Framis' journey with non-human companionship started in 1995 with a mannequin doll.
- Framis (b. Barcelona, Spain, 1967) actively shares her AI relationship experiences on social media platforms.
- The wedding will occur in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and includes a molecular food experience for humans and humanoids.
Zoom Out: - Framis is a trained astronaut with the European Space Agency and opened MOONLIFE in Amsterdam in 2011, a space travelers' shop.
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| 6 | | Apple's Vision Pro has quickly gained traction with over 1,000 specifically designed apps, showcasing the strong developer interest and growth in spatial computing. This was announced on X by Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak. More: - Vision Pro's app count rose from 150 pre-launch to over 1,000 post-launch, indicating rapid developer engagement.
- Over 1.5 million iOS and iPad apps are compatible, but spatial apps are tailored to Vision Pro's unique capabilities.
- Primary streaming services like Disney+, ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video have developed Vision Pro apps.
- Productivity apps from Microsoft, Slack, and Zoom are available alongside unique offerings like Juno, a YouTube app.
- Independent developers are creating diverse apps, including fitness and mindfulness sectors.
- A notable app, Persona Studio, enhances Vision Pro's 3D avatar feature for improved user likeness.
Zoom Out: - This represents a significant increase from the initial 600-plus apps available at launch and includes both mainstream and independent software developers.
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| 7 | | QUICK HITS: - Visa and Mastercard have come to a historic $5B settlement, marking a pivotal moment for small business owners.*
- The limited release of Apple's Vision Pro has led to a significant resale market, with prices overseas reaching up to $5,000.
- CareerViewXR has donated VR headsets featuring over 65 work experiences and 360° technology to all middle and high schools in North Dakota.
- Unity's ex-VR/AR lead joins a cloud platform to scale the open metaverse, leveraging AI and Web3, essential for governments, enterprises, and Web3 projects.
- Dive into advanced tips and tricks with the Kubernetes Cookbook. Get your copy compliments of the cloud experts at DoiT.*
*This is a sponsored post. | | | |
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 | Freelance | | This newsletter was curated by Vildana. In addition to Inside Daily Brief, she also contributes to Inside Metaverse. She holds an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE). You can reach her at vildana@inside.com or her social media platforms, Twitter or LinkedIn. | | This newsletter was edited by Aaron Crutchfield | |
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