Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms (Meta) has decided to stop developing premium mixed reality (MR) headsets, the information technology (IT) media Deformation reported on the 25th local time.
After last week’s product review meeting, the company instructed employees in the Reality Labs segment to stop developing premium MR headsets, local sources said.
Reality Lab is a business unit for the development of metaverse (3D virtual world) devices, and Meta has been researching the development of high-performance MR headsets under the project name ‘La Joya’.
Meta’s headset was aimed at the MR headset that Apple launched in February. It is equipped with a micro organic light emitting diode (OLED) mounted on Apple’s Vision Pro and aimed to launch in 2027.
Meta’s suspension of developing premium MR headsets was reportedly affected by weak sales from Apple Vision Pro.
Vision Pro has received a lot of attention since its release in June last year, but it has been struggling to sell since its launch in February due to its high price of $3,500.
According to market research firm IDC, Vision Pro is expected to sell 100,000 units in the quarter since its launch in February, with only 20,000 to 30,000 units in the third quarter.
This is significantly lower than the market expectation that sales will reach 300,000 to 400,000 units this year.
Instead, both Apple and Meta will focus on launching entry-level headsets. Apple plans to release a cheaper version of the MR headset than the Vision Pro early next year. The price range is expected to be around $1,500, which is cheaper than the Vision Pro. Meta is also expected to launch its relatively cheap “Quest Ventura” later this year to popularize the device.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
