Meta's mixed reality strategy is smart. If you missed it, we don't blame you. It's been a pretty hectic summer for big tech companies and technology in general. We're not done yet. There are still many chapters to be written. But back to the point, Meta has decided to follow the Android and Windows model. With something that is nearly ubiquitous and that they think is still important: mixed reality. With the foundations of a hastily conceived metaverse world and an effective rebranding. Luckily, Meta's Facebook is not Facebook's Facebook, but at least now we can call it Meta's Facebook.
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Many may have missed this, but when it launched in the summer of 2024, Meta talked about something called Meta Horizon OS. This is the mixed reality operating system (OS) that will be the basis for the company's Quest headset. The software, apps, and features have been there before, but now it's wrapped up in a smarter, more refined package that will be easier to use and update over time. This is important to Meta's plans for Horizon OS.
Meta has provided Horizon OS to Asus and Lenovo, which are working on mixed reality headsets, in broader licensing deals, and expects more companies to join the effort in time. For now, it's just the two companies that can take advantage of the off-the-shelf software that Meta continues to improve and focus on making the hardware work best. The template that Google has been using for years with Android has paid off, as has Microsoft's approach with Windows. Meta is now focused on expanding the range of mixed reality apps available on Horizon OS, so the tech giant is hoping Google will join the use case with its Play Store.
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But why now? The answer to deciphering the timing has to do in part with Apple's advances in Vision Pro and visionOS. The pricey proposition is at least off to a good start with improved apps and experiences. Meta hopes that its licensed Horizon OS can become an Android-like presence in the smartphone world, competing with iOS.
At the very least, Meta is saying the right thing when it comes to positioning Horizon OS and expectations from its mixed reality headset partners. Asus is expected to leverage the gaming knowledge it has gained through its popular Republic of Gamers portfolio of computing devices, while Lenovo (which collaborated on the Oculus Rift S headset) and ThinkPad Computers' workplace presence will customize headsets that combine productivity, learning, and entertainment. How well and efficiently that happens will likely only be known later this year.
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Meta knows a thing or two about mixed reality headsets. Their current portfolio starts with the virtual reality Meta Quest 2 (prices start around $199), the mixed reality Meta Quest 3 (starting at $500), and the Meta Quest Pro (the flagship starts at $999). Aside from other specs and features, they all have one thing in common: Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 chips, albeit from different generations. This is the standard that defines the licensing agreement, and requires a Qualcomm chip.
Not many people remember this, but Mark Zuckerberg gave us our first glimpse into his thought process in an interview a few years ago, where he gave the example of Microsoft. For many years, Microsoft hadn't made PCs (its Surface computers are made in very small numbers), and it hadn't made chips, but it had a single important piece of software that an entire ecosystem had developed around it. This is similar to the journey of Google's Android (its Pixel phones are also made in very small numbers), and how Samsung, Xiaomi, and other companies have built around licensed software.
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An open ecosystem is just the beginning. Meta is right: the market will evolve, consumers will have more choice (and more people will experience mixed reality for the first time), and developers will develop products for a much broader audience. This is always the first chapter of any journey.
Vishal Mathur is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that covers the impact of personal technology on our lives and vice versa. Views expressed here are personal.
