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Zuck Disses Apple

Zuck Disses Apple

..but he has a point.

Brandon Butch
February 16, 2024 • 📖 Read time: 10 minutes

Good morning! ☀️

This week, we have Mark Zuckerberg dissing Apple, disguised apps in the App Store, iOS 18’s potential redesign, and more.

📊 Poll

In the last poll, I asked:Have your thoughts on Vision Pro changed after this week?

Here are some of my favorite replies:

Yes - “Your video showing how you work with it has opened my eyes (I guess pun intended) to the power inherent in them beyond a fancier gaming device. Still don’t expect to purchase at this price as my needs really don’t warrant.”

No - “I still feel it is the best spatial computer available – especially, at that price point – and, will definitely be saving up to purchase one. For my lifestyle, I can see it replacing many physical devices I own (almost the same way as the iPhone basically “replaced everything in RadioShack"), and see it helping me to be more productive and engaged in my everyday life… but also escaping from the outside world when I want to do so. The current things I would love to see implemented down the road a a decrease in weight, the battery included in the device, and more SharePlay capabilities to make the device a bit more social/engaging.”

This week: How many Apple products do you use on a weekly basis? What are they?

How many Apple products do you use weekly?

🥊 Zuck vs Apple

via Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg “reviewing” the Apple Vision Pro was not on my bingo card this week, but that’s exactly what happened in this Instagram video. Let’s break it down.

TLDR; Zuck says he isn’t worried about Vision Pro because he believes the Meta Quest 3 is a better product, despite costing 7x less.

“I expected that Quest would be the better value for most people since it's really good, and it's like 7x less expensive. But after using it, I don't just think that Quest is the better value, I think that Quest is the better product. Period.”

Zuckerberg

He had me in the first half: the Quest is the better value for most people, I agree with that.

But to say the Quest is the better product overall is a) not saying much since it’s the 3rd generation competing with Apple’s 1st generation, but also b) simply not the better product for most people looking to buy the Vision Pro.

Sure, the Quest is lighter/more comfortable, has more apps, is better for gaming/fitness, and has a wider field of view, but that’s about where the advantages end for me (as a week one Quest 3 user).

Meanwhile, the advantages of the Vision Pro:

The M2 + R1 chip combo is the most powerful on the market
Better resolution & better passthrough quality (though still not great)
Better eye tracking & selecting mechanism
Allowing others outside of the headset to see a digital interpretation of your eyes in real time (the biggest “wow” factor to outsiders)
Ecosystem. All of your passwords, photos, messages, notes, etc. already loaded onto the headset + being able to FaceTime with the headset on

“So, you know, when I look around, it seems like there are a lot of people who just assumed that Vision Pro would be higher quality because it's Apple and it costs $3,000 more. But, you know, honestly, I'm pretty surprised that Quest is so much better for the vast majority of things that people use these headsets for, with that price differential.”

Zuckerberg

I agree with Zuck here. The Quest 3 is better for the majority of things that people currently use a headset for.

It wasn’t until Apple Vision Pro that people legitimately considered using a headset for work/productivity. I’m currently writing this with my Vision Pro on, something I can’t do on Quest 3 (via Mac Virtual Display).

Zuck also mentions the open vs closed infrastructure and how Apple won with their “closed” OS in the mobile world, but that they won’t necessarily win in the Mixed Reality world.

While true, I don’t feel any more “free” on the Quest than I do the Vision Pro.

So, is Zuck right?

First off, this is the first time in a long time that Zuck looks normal and relaxed. I like this version of him. And the competing CEO (Tim Cook) could never pull something like this off. So hats off to Mark - amazing marketing. Better than any commercial.

Anyways, I do think Zuck is [mostly] right.

The Vision Pro is the better product in terms of design & compute, but the Quest 3 is the better product right now for 90% of consumers.

However, I think the two products are intended for two completely different audiences.

If you like gaming, fitness, open software, an entry-level price, and lots of 3rd party apps readily available in 2024, Quest 3 is for you.

If you want the best quality when watching movies, you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, and/or you want to use the headset for work/productivity, the Vision Pro is for you. If you have the budget for it.

At the end of the day, I don’t really think it’s fair to compare a 1st generation product (in its 1st month of release) to a 3rd generation product.

Apple is known for adding major changes via software updates, and we will see at least 2 major overhauls before a 2nd gen version gets released.

The future is brighter for Vision Pro (mostly thanks to their in-house chips), but for now, Quest 3 is the superior product for your average consumer. Thoughts?

📲 Will iOS 18 Look Like This?

We are less than 4 months away from seeing Apple’s next major software updates, including the most hyped: iOS 18.
Recently, we got a fresh rumor claiming that Apple could be implementing visionOS-inspired design elements into iOS and iPadOS 18.
They claim that the Apple TV app will share the same translucent navigation bar that was introduced in tvOS 17.2, along with a redesign to system menus and default apps like Safari.
As much as I want this to happen, I don’t think it will. This could come with iOS 19 or later, but I doubt we will see an iOS redesign with iOS 18.

🥸 Disguised Apps

This week, a vision-testing app called "Kimi" mysteriously became the #8 “Top Free App” on the App Store in the Entertainment category.
But this wasn’t an app to test your eyesight, it was a piracy app for watching & downloading new movies/TV shows.

Here’s how the app looks

The app was first approved in September, and it was available for several months in the iOS and macOS App Stores without Apple noticing.
But earlier this week, Apple finally pulled the app after The Verge wrote about it.
This comes on the heels of last week’s App Store blunder, where Apple approved a fake LastPass application to hijack passwords.
These things happen on every marketplace, but it’s not great timing with Apple trying to prove that they’re the safest marketplace out there.

💬 iMessage Dodges EU Crackdown

The European Commission has sided with Apple and decided against designating iMessage as a core platform service because it isn’t dominant enough.
This means that Apple will not be required to support messaging interoperability, which would have allowed messages to be sent between competing chat apps like WhatsApp.
To be considered a dominant messaging app in Europe, iMessage would need to have 45 million monthly active users. And last year, Apple said that they didn’t reach that threshold, though specific numbers are not shared publicly.
RCS is coming soon anyway!

📰 Quick News Bites

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