Vision Pro Lead Leaves Apple Amidst Meta Quest 3S Competition

Dan Riccio retires from the Apple Vision Pro development team as holiday competition rises

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Vision Pro Lead Leaves Apple Amidst Meta Quest 3S Competition
Mixed RealityLatest News

Published: October 10, 2024

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Rory Greener

This week, reports from Bloomberg suggest that Apple is losing a key figure behind its Vision Pro development team. Dan Riccio, Apple’s now ex-Hardware Engineering Chief, is retiring from the company after helping to spearhead the development and eventual release of the Apple Vision Pro, which saw the firm finally enter the XR market early this year. The device landed with hype; however, its high price tag and slow adoption led some to question its longevity.

Although the Vision Pro is early in its lifespan, the future can still be very fruitful for Apple and its MR product heading into the new year. Apple has yet to comment on the retirement and how it’ll affect the firm and the Apple Vision Pro product and roadmap.

However, due to Riccio’s seemingly amicable departure, Apple is most likely well prepared to transfer oversight of the Vision Pro development to new team leads. Mike Rockwell, who has worked alongside Riccio on the Vision Pro, is ready to take the device to new heights.

Meta Quest 3S to Debut this Year

Interestingly, the timing of Riccio’s retirement comes as the Meta Quest 3S is due to hit store shelves.

At Connect 2024, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Meta, announced the Quest 3S after months of rumours. The new product is an MR device similar to the Quest 3 but cheaper.

Today, Meta announced that pre-orders will start at $299.99 for a 128GB model and $399.99 for a 256GB model. Notably, Meta highlighted how the Quest 3S can support workplace productivity applications such as a virtual desktop.

The Meta Quest 3S will feature capabilities including a high-quality 4K display, a Fresnel lens system, and a full-color passthrough. Additionally, the headset will come with specifications such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chipset, 8GB of RAM, hand tracking, and Touch Plus controllers.

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