Snap Founder Slams the Metaverse, Apple Marketing Chief Says He Won't Use the Word

Snap's Evan Spiegel said the last thing he wanted to do when he got back from work during a long day was to live inside of a computer.

By Mark Gurman, Bloomberg | Updated: 26 October 2022 14:21 IST

Snap Founder Slams the Metaverse, Apple Marketing Chief Says He Won't Use the Word

Photo Credit: Snapchat

Snap this month reported its slowest quarterly sales growth ever

Highlights

Spiegel argued that most people prefer AR over VR
Apple is working on its own combined AR and VR headset
Spiegel has previously argued against Meta's all-encompassing metaverse

Billionaire Snap founder Evan Spiegel rubbished the idea that future computing will migrate into a virtual world dubbed the metaverse, arguing most people prefer a lighter touch known as augmented reality. Augmented reality, which broadly speaking superimposes digital info on the real world, lets people harness computing power without forcing them to rely on a single screen, Spiegel said. Unlike a VR headset, the combination of phones and augmented glasses is “more immersive.”

“The metaverse is ‘living inside of a computer.' The last thing I want to do when I get home from work during a long day is live inside of a computer,” Spiegel told the WSJ Live conference in Laguna Beach, California. “There is a clear fork in the road between VR and AR.”

Later at the same event, Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak echoed the sentiment, saying the metaverse is “a word I'll never use.” Apple is working on its own combined AR and VR headset, Bloomberg News has reported.

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Spiegel and his lieutenants have argued that perspective previously, which diverges in part from the more all-encompassing vision of the metaverse espoused by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The debate underscores a broader discussion underway about the future of computing as growth in the smartphone era wanes. Snap this month reported its slowest quarterly sales growth ever, saying a decline in advertising spending continues to drag on results.

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Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company's latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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