In a bid to challenge Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) flagship products, the iPhone and Vision Pro, top competitors, Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG), are reportedly making significant changes to their strategies.
What Happened: In his latest weekly "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg columnist, Mark Gurman said that the Mark Zuckerberg-led company's decision to open up its virtual reality operating system to all headset manufacturers can be seen as a direct challenge to Apple's closed ecosystem.
"That's the same approach that made Windows the dominant computer operating system and Android the most used smartphone software," said Gurman, adding, "It's also a potential opportunity to get a jump on Apple."
Meanwhile, Google has restructured its management, appointing Pixel hardware chief Rick Osterloh to oversee the Android operating system. For years, Osterloh and the Pixel team have faced pressure to generate greater revenue from their devices.
However, within the Android team, the Pixel division was perceived simply as another client, akin to Samsung Electronics Co., rather than being recognized as an integral component of the company's operations.
"The Google move mirrors Tim Cook's first major management overhaul in 2012, when he elevated services chief Eddy Cue and then-macOS software leader Craig Federighi to broader roles, while pushing out former iOS head Scott Forstall," Gurman stated.
He went on to note another conceivable factor contributing to the shift at Google — the tech giant's struggle to establish a presence in the mixed-reality realm. Despite ongoing efforts in augmented reality development over the years, Google noticeably lags behind Apple and Meta in this arena.
Why It Matters: Apple's Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset, has been a topic of discussion in the tech industry. Despite its high price, the device has been praised for its advanced technology.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been critical of the Vision Pro. During Meta's first-quarter earnings call, he described the headset as "fashionable AI glasses without a display." On the other hand, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman lauded it as the "second most impressive tech since the iPhone" by OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman.
Vision Pro has also faced criticism for its high price, with some users returning the device due to design and performance issues, but the tech giant has high hopes for the headset, considering their plans for its international expansion.
爲了挑戰蘋果公司。”據報道,s(納斯達克股票代碼:AAPL)的旗艦產品iPhone和Vision Pro、主要競爭對手Meta Platforms Inc.(納斯達克股票代碼:META)和Alphabet Inc.(納斯達克股票代碼:GOOG)正在對其戰略進行重大調整。
發生了什麼:彭博社專欄作家馬克·古爾曼在他最新的每週 “Power On” 時事通訊中表示,馬克·扎克伯格領導的公司決定向所有耳機制造商開放其虛擬現實操作系統,可以看作是對蘋果封閉生態系統的直接挑戰。
古爾曼說:“正是這種方法使Windows成爲占主導地位的計算機操作系統,使安卓成爲最常用的智能手機軟件,” 他補充說,“這也是超越蘋果的潛在機會。”
同時,谷歌重組了管理層,任命了Pixel硬件主管裏克·奧斯特洛監督安卓操作系統。多年來,Osterloh和Pixel團隊一直面臨着通過其設備創造更多收入的壓力。
但是,在安卓團隊中,Pixel部門僅被視爲另一個客戶,類似於三星電子公司,而不是被視爲公司運營不可或缺的組成部分。
古爾曼說:“谷歌的舉動反映了蒂姆·庫克在2012年的首次重大管理改革,當時他將服務主管埃迪·庫伊和當時的macOS軟件負責人克雷格·費德里希提升到更廣泛的職位,同時將前iOS負責人斯科特·福斯托爾趕下臺。”
他接着指出了促成谷歌轉變的另一個可以想象的因素——這家科技巨頭努力在混合現實領域建立影響力。儘管多年來一直在努力開發增強現實,但谷歌在這一領域明顯落後於蘋果和Meta。
爲何重要:蘋果的混合現實頭戴式耳機Vision Pro一直是科技行業討論的話題。儘管價格昂貴,但該設備因其先進的技術而受到讚譽。
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Meta 首席執行官馬克·扎克伯格一直對 Vision Pro 持批評態度。在 Meta 的第一季度業績電話會議上,他將這款頭戴式耳機描述爲 “沒有顯示屏的時尚 AI 眼鏡”。另一方面,OpenAI首席執行官山姆·奧特曼稱讚其爲OpenAI聯合創始人山姆·奧特曼的 “自iPhone以來第二令人印象深刻的技術”。
Vision Pro也因其高昂的價格而受到批評,一些用戶因設計和性能問題退回了該設備,但考慮到其國際擴張計劃,這家科技巨頭對這款耳機寄予厚望。