Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth is a great industry insider to follow. Obviously, due to his role at leading XR firm Meta, the company representative is consistently discussing the technology market on his social media platforms and podcast.
Over the past two months, Boz was busy filling up his Instagram stories archive with Q&A sessions, revealing a trove of insider information which may run under the radar of many.
Most recently, Boz hosted a series of Instagram sessions which revealed core details on the firm’s upcoming Meta Quest 3 headset ahead of Meta’s Connect event in September, where the Menlo Park-based firm will introduce more information.
Moreover, Boz touched on competition stemming from the Apple Vision Pro MR headset, available in 2024 for roughly $3,499.
Quest 3 Details
During his June Q&A, the Meta CTO was careful not to reveal too much ahead of the firm’s annual showcase event. However, Boz told enough details regarding Quest 3 without ruining the surprise. The CTO targeted most of his answers to questions expressing mild concern over small design features.
The small details should not be swept under the rug, though! Small design details could prove pivotal when an enterprise client chooses different headsets for workplace adoption in such a busy and emerging market. Often the selected device and its usability details prove vital to the success of a pilot.
For example, a somewhat overlooked aspect of XR is battery-life. Most XR devices have around 2 – 3 hours of usage. The Quest 3 follows this trend, with Boz suggesting it has 2 hours of battery life.
Boz also revealed that the upcoming device will also support users with prescription glasses. – giving users extra space on the headset to accommodate glasses.
Moreover, Boz answered concerns over the Quest 3’s controllers. At first look, the promotional images show that the Quest 3 controllers do not contain the tracking ring and tracking camera found on previous devices. Meta also removed the depth cameras present in previous devices, opting for a mix of infrared and full-colour cameras for tracking.
For Quest 3, Meta is not reincorporating controller designs from its two and Pro Quest models. Instead, the firm approaches the upcoming controllers with a new design outlook, leveraging invisible infrared LEDs and AI algorithms to track players’ hands and controllers. The advanced ecosystem of tracking technology allows for accurate tracking without the need for extra expensive or bulky design choices.
According to Boz, the Quest 3 also shares its previous model’s 100-degree FOV and has the same weight.
Quest 3 Vs Vision Pro
In July, Boz conducted another Instagram Q&A to discuss the upcoming Quest device and potential competition from Apple’s recently unveiled Vision Pro product.
In this session, Boz surprisingly revealed that Meta did not drop its Quest 3 announcement to come alongside Apple’s major WWDC announcement. While competition between the two is inevitable to a degree, the CTO noted that Meta did not announce its devices just days before WWDC to throw off Apple’s showcase.
Boz noted:
We want to announce it [the Quest 3] early, so that people know it’s coming, so they can plan well in advance of the holiday season what they want to do. So that was our plan from a long time ago, and the timing worked out unbelievably well. I’m not mad about it… I’m not saying I’m mad about it, I’m just saying that was the plan that we developed in terms of go-to-market, and it had nothing to do with [Apple’s Vision Pro].
Bosworth also noted that Meta scheduled its headset tease before its Connect event to drive customer adoption, following its previous go-to-market success practices.
The CTO explained that when there are already XR headsets out in the market, “a lot of people have already made buying decisions in the summertime, or they’re kind of committed to a path,” so if Meta dropped its device at Connect customers may not buy the device.
However, by teasing the device early, Meta can get ahead of consumers putting them on the path for Quest adoption early.
Additionally, Boz said that “whenever a great competitor comes out, whether it be the Pico, whether it be Apple Vision Pro,” a competitor such as Meta must ask, “what did they do differently, and why? What did we miss? Did we get it wrong, or did they figure something out? So you try to learn from it.”
On the other hand, Boz said:
At the same time, you can’t constantly be chasing every competitor because then you’re getting thrown off your own game. – In our case, I think we’ve got a great ecosystem, we’ve got a great set of devices, we’ve got a great price point. So it’s a balance to try to learn from them and not over-rotate on that.
Different Specs, Different Markets?
Alongside answering questions about its go-to-market plan. Boz also responded to questions regarding comparisons between Quest 3 and Vision Pro.
Notably, Boz reviewed a core design difference: Apple’s choice of leveraging attached battery packs over a fixed solution.
While audiences cannot prove the best approach until the world gets hands-on with both devices, according to Boz, the core reason behind battery integration differences is a “physics problem.”
A module battery pack may allow Apple to sell the device with a lower weight, and the approach may also assist in balancing the device weight for when users are operating the upcoming product.
Boz added:
It doesn’t matter who you are, what company you are, who you work for… physics is a uniform belligerent to this space. We’re making progress hand-over-fist as an industry; I think Apple’s entry is going to help with that a lot.
A significant point to note is each firm’s target audience. Apple is, at first, aiming the Vision Pro product towards productivity use cases. On the other hand, in his June Q&A, Boz noted the Quest 3 is targeted towards the gaming market.
Meta appears to be moving forward as a gaming and consumer-focused immersive solutions provider. The Menlo Park firm only focuses on enterprise use cases via its Pro headset.
However, thinking that Vision Pro is solely for productivity is likely false. Yes, Apple is selling its product as a productivity tool, but the firm is also closely working with Unity and Disney to produce consumer experiences.
Much like the iPhone, which has a workplace and consumer application ecosystem, the Vision Pro may approach more general use cases as developers create various applications for the device – with the VisionOS available today!
On the other hand, Meta will be laser targetted towards gamers. The market is packed full of excellent devices, and hopefully, no one player takes all the gold, instead working towards a healthy marketplace full of opportunities and completion.
