Apple CEO Tim Cook slams Mark Zuckerberg's confusing vision for the metaverse

'I always think it’s important that people understand what something is,' Cook said. 'And I’m really not sure the average person can tell you what the metaverse is.'

Apple CEO Tim Cook slams Mark Zuckerberg's confusing vision for the metaverse
AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
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Apple CEO Tim Cook calls Mark Zuckerberg’s approach to the so-called “metaverse” misguided and difficult to understand. 

Speaking to Dutch publication Bright, Cook laid in on his rival, and stated the importance of simplicity in marketing a product. 

Apple is notably well regarded for its simplified approach to technology, which makes most, if not all of its offerings inclusive to a broad audience. 

“I always think it’s important that people understand what something is,” Cook said. “And I’m really not sure the average person can tell you what the metaverse is.”

Cook called Zuckerberg’s vision of the metaverse through its virtual reality hardware a poor way to implement VR technology. 

Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse involves wearing one of its virtual reality headsets, called the Oculus, in order to immerse oneself in the virtual reality environment, away from the real world. 

Cook expressed his doubts that anyone would want to wear a headset for any extended period of time, pointing out that it isn’t a practical way to communicate with others. 

“It’s something you can really immerse yourself in, and that can be used in a good way, but I don’t think you want to live your whole life that way,” Cook said. “VR is for set periods, but not a way to communicate well. So I’m not against it, but that’s how I look at it.”

Cook is not the only tech executive to express his skepticism over Facebook’s implementation of the technology. Earlier this year, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel dismissed Zuckerberg’s ambitions as “ambiguous and hypothetical,” suggesting that augmented reality technology would be better suited for the metaverse, the Guardian reported

Zuckerberg laid out his vision for the metaverse, telling his employees earlier this year that he sees Meta in a “very deep, philosophical competition” with Apple to build the environment, the Verge reported. “This is a competition of philosophies and ideas, where they believe that by doing everything themselves and tightly integrating that they build a better consumer experience,” Zuckerberg said, contrasting what he says is Apple’s closed approach with Meta’s more interoperable development. 

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