Will Meta’s Open Framework Dismantle Apple’s Walled Garden?

This week, Meta opened its Meta Horizon OS [the operating system powering the Quest product portfolio] to third-party developers, allowing a more comprehensive range of developers to create applications for the firm’s portfolio of XR products.

Meta’s open approach comes as Apple establishes a walled garden ecosystem to support its spatial computing vision. The intention appears straightforward, directly aiming at Apple’s approach to its hardware ecosystem.

On the other hand, Meta is taking an open approach, giving developers a customisable framework for specified solutions. This approach makes sense for Meta as the firm enters partnerships to expand its product reach with help from firms like LG.

Moreover, Meta is debuting a revamped storefront, the “Meta Horizon Store,” which looks to provide a home to future open Quest applications.

“We’re releasing Meta Horizon OS, our operating system that powers the Meta Quest virtual and mixed reality headsets,” noted Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who also added:

In every era of computing, there are always open and closed models. – But it doesn’t have to be that way. In the PC era, the open model won out; you can do many more things, install mods, more diversity of hardware and software, and more. So, our goal is to make it so that the open model defines the next generation of computing again with the metaverse, glasses, and headsets.

Moreover, the CEO seemingly hinted at its recent partnership with LG, noting, “We are partnering with some of the best hardware companies out there to design new headsets that are optimised for all the different ways people use this tech.”

Zuckerberg noted that Meta is working with industry leaders, such as Lenovo, ASUS, and Xbox, to “build headsets that are designed for more specific use cases, so you can imagine a lightweight headset that pairs with your computer on your desk to provide the best work experience, whether you’re at home or anywhere else on the go.”

The CEO also added:

So opening our OS is the next step, and we are bringing all these different use cases in the metaverse to everyone. It’s probably going to take a couple of years for some of these new products to start launching, but I’m really excited to get started on this next chapter.

Lenovo, ASUS, Qualcomm, and More to Support Open Future

The revamped Meta Horizon OS aims to scale and drive XR application and hardware development, building upon core technologies such as high-resolution passthrough, scene understanding, spatial anchors, and body tracking, eventually powering metaverse experiences.

Horizon is also the immersive framework behind the firm’s Worlds metaverse platform. The firm seeks to drive socially connected virtual worlds ready for cross-platform delivery on headsets, phones, and desktops.

Moreover, by teaming up with strong industry partners, Meta can leverage a broader computing ecosystem to improve the number of applications on its portfolio.

Meta hihglights that its work with ASUS and Xbox tagerts gaming hardware, meanwhile Meta’s experiecne with Lenovo will help scale mixed reality devices for productivity, learning, and entertainment.

S.Y. Hsu, the Co-CEO of ASUS, added:

We’ve been inspired by the incredible gaming community that has formed around virtual and mixed reality, and we know that the most passionate gamers want high-performance hardware. With Meta Horizon OS, ASUS and Republic of Gamers will build the gaming headset of the next generation.

Moreover, Yuanqing Yang, Chair & CEO at Lenovo, noted that mixed reality is “transforming” how people interact with computers.

“Lenovo is bringing together Meta Horizon OS with our leadership and innovation in personal computing to accelerate the adoption of new user scenarios in mixed reality like virtual screens, remote presence, content consumption, and immersive training,” Yang explained.

Moreover, Qualcomm is closely tied to the open OS move because its Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 Platform is a core foundational technology fueling Meta’s hardware success.

Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm Inc., Added:

The convergence of physical and digital spaces is accelerating, and we see virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality becoming the next computing platform. To enable this future, these high-performance devices require an entirely new class of Snapdragon processors. Our collaboration with Meta has produced extraordinary experiences that have become the benchmark of the industry, and we’re excited to see this new ecosystem taking shape

Meta also notes that it will lower the barriers to distributing services on the Meta Horizon Store and App Lab. By opening the storefronts, Meta allows developers to release new titles more quickly.

Open Frameworks to Effect Most Major Headsets

Khronos has released an updated version 1.1 of its OpenXR API to help developers create more efficient cross-platform AR/VR/MR applications. The update consolidates multiple extensions into the OpenXR API, reducing the number of different coding frameworks needed to support end devices.

This consolidation streamlines the application development cycles. The OpenXR API is essential for many XR headsets from vendors such as Acer, ByteDance, Canon, HTC, Magic Leap, Meta, Microsoft, Sony, XREAL, Qualcomm, Valve, and Varjo. Real-time 3D development services like Autodesk VRED, Blender, Godot, NVIDIA’s Omniverse, StereoKit, Unreal Engine, and Unity support OpenXR integration.

Meta is a crucial parenting in the OpenXR update. The firm welcomes the framework as it journeys to be a leader in interoperable, flexible solutions.