Will Apple Metaverse Become the New Meta in 2023?

Globally renowned tech giant Apple has recently been making great waves in the Metaverse space by incorporating AR technology within its latest devices. The multinational company generated over $394 billion in revenue in 2022 due to its loyal fan base.

Apple’s Metaverse strategy revolves around bridging the gap between the virtual realm and the physical world through immersive technologies, innovative processing algorithms, and much more. The company has also built a “Reality Kit” that allows users to create fully customized 3D objects in minutes.

Key Points

Apple’s “Reality Kit” allows developers to create immersive AR experiences without any prior development experience.
Apple earns much more than the other Metaverse giants through its large customer base.
Apple is currently focusing on developing mobile augmented reality, mixed reality hardware, and glasses.
Many competitors in the Metaverse space include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Epic Games, Meta and many others.
Apple funds itself by its means as it generates revenue through its hardware and puts that to use in its Apple Metaverse.

Digital land digital assets can be sold for as much as $4.3 Million per land parcel. Investments in the Metaverse are growing steadily, and when the user count rises to match the massive user base of Apple users, the Metaverse can surpass the success achieved by the iPhone.

It is important to remember that while the Metaverse exhibits tons of potential in reshaping the way users interact online, there is still a long way for it to go to match the success of the iPhone. According to recent reports, there are over 1.2 billion iPhone users in 2022.

Apple was able to earn around $197 billion from iPhone sales in 2021. This indicates the massive level of success that Apple has been able to achieve with its smartphones. The Metaverse also shows a lot of promise as awareness about digital assets and virtual currencies becomes more mainstream.

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While Apple hasn’t specifically created their Metaverse, the term Apple’s Metaverse refers to the technologies they’ve employed to contribute towards the Metaverse space. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple has highlighted their focus on incorporating AR to help combine 3D virtual objects with physical environments.

The company has ensured the compatibility of AR on all recent devices and there have been talks of an AR/VR headset in development that is set to be released in 2023 as a precursor to a much sleeker version of AR glasses that are expected to be released in late 2024.

Apple’s “Reality Kit” also enables developers and AR enthusiasts to contribute to the vast library of AR apps in the iOS store. Users can utilize AR creation tools to fully customize various experiences and can also monetize their creations.

Over the past few decades, Apple has always focused on utilizing cutting-edge technologies to create high-value products that exude the brand’s promise of quality and sophistication. As mentioned earlier, all modern Apple products support AR.

Cameras, Sensors and Machine Learning

The products utilize cameras, motion sensors and complex in-built image processing algorithms to overlay virtual images onto a user’s physical surroundings.

Compatibility With iOS

The best part is users aren’t limited to certain apps to experience AR since they have directly ensured compatibility with iOS. Users can experience AR within Messages, Safari Browser, Files, and more. This is done by utilizing Apple’s AR Quick Look technologies.

AR Quick Look

AR Quick Look also offers users the exciting opportunity to preview products in their own spaces before making a purchase decision. Businesses can utilize this by incorporating compatibility in their websites. For example, a user may be able to preview how a lamp would look on their desk before they order it.

LiDAR Capabilities

Apple uses LiDAR to sense the depth of objects up to a maximum of 5 meters. This is crucial in helping processing algorithms understand the surroundings to project virtual objects realistically. LiDAR technology works with motion sensors and cameras to create immersive experiences.

GPU and 3D Modeling

Most modern versions contain the powerful A12Z Octa-core GPU that facilitates modeling in 3D. This contributes immensely towards establishing the scene geometry using the cameras and sensors.

To further empower the Apple Metaverse, the company has also released several AR-creation tools for users to create their versions of AR apps and experiences and publish them within the iOS store. Users can also utilize their extensive learning resources to begin learning how to utilize their creation platform through interactive videos, guidelines and more.

AR Headsets and Glasses

Apple is planning on releasing an AR headset in late 2023 to further bridge the gap between virtual and physical realms. The headset will undoubtedly feature ultra-high resolution, 3D Audio, compatibility with AR apps in the iOS store and much more.

The Apple Metaverse is still developing in many ways. Before a concentrated launch with new devices, the business is likely enhancing its Metaverse deployments as much as possible. Their recent filings for trademarks depict their aim to secure names for their upcoming headsets. The headset itself is going to be one of Apple’s most significant additions to its products, and there are reports of applications being filed in Canada, the EU, the UK, the US, Saudi Arabia, and New Zealand for different names.

The names are reported to be “Reality Pro”, “Reality Processor”, and “Reality One”. People believe these to be filed by Apple due to their go-to shell firm (Immersive Health Solutions, LLC) being used to secure prior trademarks. There is no official statement from the company at this point.

Mobile AR

As mentioned earlier, Apple has already included AR support in its iOS SDK. But it’s crucial to understand that the code isn’t merely there to be used afterwards. Everything required for AR is already there in Apple’s existing iPhone and iPad models.

Relative to specialized headgear or glasses, mobile augmented reality technology may not feel as fully interactive as with other gears and devices. However, developers have used iOS to make some pretty remarkable achievements. In this way, you may already be utilizing an early form of the Apple Metaverse. Hundreds of augmented reality-based applications are already available in the App Store.

Apple’s AR Glasses

Apple is currently focusing on working closely on their augmented reality and virtual reality headgear with AR glasses. Sony’s OLED microdisplays with a resolution of 1280 x 960 are likely to be used in Apple’s AR glasses. That is equivalent to a mini laptop’s image and is housed in a frame resembling a pair of regular glasses or prescription eyewear.

A specific gesture mechanism will make operating the Apple Metaverse glasses simple. It is commonly accepted that the glasses will link with an iPhone instead of the VR or AR gear, which has a powerful CPU. The tradeoff allows for a small size for the glasses.

Apple’s Mixed Reality Hardware

Apple’s new headset is rumoured to support both VR and AR. Their emphasis on linking both realms indicates that they might develop interactive MR hardware to provide immersive experiences. One primary difference from Microsoft’s Hololens2 might be that these headsets might be much more affordable due to Apple targeting everyday consumers.

With Mixed Reality, the Apple Metaverse will allow users to experience interactive 3D objects in their physical realm. These objects can be touched, moved around and interacted with, thus giving the illusion of “Mixed Reality”.

Apple has many rivals in the Metaverse since many competitors are investing heavily in new innovative technologies.

Microsoft

Microsoft is also working on the “Mixed Reality” concept. Their HoloLens 2 aims to produce industrial solutions and many top brands such as Kawasaki and Heinz are already testing out their services. They are currently focusing on the fields of production, medicine, education and much more.

The headset combines augmented reality and virtual reality to produce 3D virtual objects in a user’s physical world to increase efficiency, provide access to real time information and much more. The headset is priced at $3,500 to start with, making it inaccessible to common consumers.

Microsoft Azure also enables 3D developers to create “twins” of objects from our universe into the digital realm. Find out much more about Microsoft Metaverse here.

Nvidia

NVIDIA has created the Omniverse, a holistic solution to allow developers to collaborate across platforms and utilize existing libraries to create incredible 3D models. Apart from the extensive resources it provides, the concept of cross-platform collaboration is similar to how workplaces in the Metaverse will be.

The company is also very widely known for its graphic processing units, and it is no doubt that its hardware resources will play a significant role in paving the future of the Metaverse.

Sony

Sony is playing a pivotal role in contributing to the Metaverse. The company has developed their own VR headset and controller. They also provide users access to a large library of VR games where players can enter breathtaking digital worlds.

Sony’s innovations are not only limited to gaming; it also worked with Manchester City to create a digital stadium that is modeled like the actual one. Supporters may participate in several interactive games and virtual experiences at this digital stadium.

Meta or Facebook

Facebook revealed in November 2021 that it was renaming itself to Meta, which was appropriate. This was carried out to introduce the emerging Metaverse, which undoubtedly generated massive global interest. To build gear and software that will be utilized to offer Virtual Reality functionalities within the Metaverse, Meta has committed to a total spend of ten billion dollars.

A further cutting-edge technology with a bright future is AR, in which the corporation also expects to invest. Although there’s no denying that this is a substantial investment. There will likely be many more over the coming several years. The company is also looking into utilizing haptic feedback to allow for greater immersion in the digital realm.

For more information, check out our article on Facebook Metaverse.

Epic Games

Several Epic Games projects, including Fortnight, Roblox, Unreal Engine, and Meta-Humans, are well-known. Fortnight and Roblox contain characteristics of the Metaverse universe, such as their creative markets and the capacity to utilize a singular character throughout other digital environments.

Presently, Epic Games is creating a decentralized Metaverse. This is primarily driven by the motive of the company’s chief executive officer, Tim Sweeney. The company has been able to raise $2 billion from Sony and Kirkbi, thus indicating their commitment towards building the Metaverse.

You can find out more about Epic Games Funding here.

Amazon

For a while, the Apple Metaverse plan remained a secret. Likewise, Amazon has been approaching its plan in an identical manner. People are aware that Amazon has recently recruited individuals depending on their knowledge of the Metaverse. Their AWS Cloud Quest video game may be partially to blame for this. The teaching tool includes features from the Metaverse, such as interoperability for the blockchain. The game is likely proof of more ambitious endeavours.

Google

Google exemplifies how the Apple Metaverse method’s focus on waiting carries a lot of insight. When Google first made Google Glass available, it jumped ahead of its competitors despite the initial criticism. The world, however, was just not prepared, as it turns out. Google has since improved by producing goods like Google Cardboard and improved AR application programming interfaces for Android. The company is also covertly working on innovative technologies like Project Iris. Google has yet to speak much about its grander intentions, though.

Here you can find much more about Google Metaverse!

So far, Apple has not raised funding specifically for their Metaverse. The plans for the headset and the glasses will be fully funded by the massive revenues generated through their iPhone and iPad sales.

It is also important to note that Apple is not limited to the smartphone sector. It is also expanding its presence in fintech, gaming, healthcare, and more. Since they have established their large dedicated following over the years, we predict the new glasses and headset will be an instant success.

Apple’s primary focus is to establish borderless connectivity by merging the physical and digital realms. They’ve been focusing very heavily on AR and its use cases by incorporating AR hardware and their AR Reality Kit.

Tim Cook has released a statement saying that “the Metaverse isn’t the future”, at least not how Meta is portraying it to be. According to Tim, most people need help understanding what the Metaverse is. Which is why introductory technology such as AR should be worked upon to help people realize the potential of this massive virtual space.

FAQs

What is the Apple Metaverse?

While Apple has not specifically created a virtual world yet, the Apple Metaverse refers to the AR products that Apple is currently working on. Apple plans to release an AR headset in 2023 and is also working on developing sleeker AR glasses that are set to be released in 2024.

What are the Apple Metaverse’s biggest competitors?

Companies such as Microsoft and Meta have already introduced headsets and other hardware to contribute to the Metaverse, thus giving them the first-mover advantage. However, Apple’s massive customer base can help them get ahead once they launch their headset.

Why does the Apple Metaverse focus on Augmented Reality?

CEO Tim Cook emphasized that AR will bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds. The company has introduced their AR Reality Kit, which provides developers with all the tools they need to begin developing AR iOS applications.