A Rivalry Discontinued
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) has reportedly chosen to cease its development of a headset aiming to compete with Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) Vision Pro.
The project, known internally as La Jolla, formed a part of Meta’s long-term strategy for virtual and mixed-reality headsets. Initiated in November 2023, the development of La Jolla was abruptly halted in mid-August 2024, as reported by AppleInsider.
The Decision-Making Process
The verdict to abandon the project came during a product review meeting attended by Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, according to The Information. Bosworth later mentioned that while numerous prototypes are in progress at all times, not all come to fruition.
“Decisions like this occur regularly, and speculations surrounding one isolated decision fail to provide the complete underlying narrative,” stated Bosworth.
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Factors Influencing the Decision
Though the exact reasons behind the cancellation remain undisclosed, there is speculation that cost constraints may have influenced the choice. Meta aimed to keep the cost of the La Jolla headset under $1,000, a target that proved unattainable.
Despite the termination of the project, insiders at Meta hint that the La Jolla headset might resurface in the future, with the technology developed for it potentially finding utility in other products.
Meta has yet to respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Implications of the Decision
Previously, Zuckerberg expressed doubts about the widespread success of augmented reality (AR) glasses, especially those lacking “full holographic displays,” taking a subtle dig at Apple Vision Pro.
Furthermore, Meta’s CTO Bosworth echoed these sentiments, pointing out various drawbacks of Apple Vision Pro, essentially refuting claims about Cupertino’s first-generation mixed-reality headset being technologically superior.
Meanwhile, Apple’s Vision Pro reportedly struggles to identify its ‘killer app’ to justify its $3,500 price tag.
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This story was created using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote