Apple face 'huge pressure', Zeiss take Tooz, & Pokémon fans choose division.
This week...insiders claim Apple under 'huge pressure' to deliver MR headset in 2023, Zuckerberg prioritises AI over metaverse, and GPT-4 release pushes AI further forward.
Good morning Metaverse Business Brief readers. Let’s jump into the most relevant news from the immersive world in our weekly roundup.
Top Stories
Apple’s MR headset ‘pushed out’ for 2023. It’s commonly understood at this point that Apple have been working on a mixed reality headset for some time, with the official release debated almost weekly. The latest anonymous Apple engineer to speak out has apparently stated that the launch has been postponed for a number of years, with the official development cycle taking around seven in total. Claims are made that Apple are under ‘huge pressure’ to ship the device this year as a result.
Meta to focus on AI over Metaverse. Amidst a cut of 10,000 roles, as reported here last week, Mark Zuckerberg has apparently shared internal reports suggesting the companies “single largest investment” would now be in advancing AI strategy. Zuckerberg has also gone to great lengths to distinguish AI from the metaverse, claiming that the former is designed to “deliver a realistic sense of presence”.
OpenAI release GPT-4. The newest iteration of the highly popular ChatGPT represents another huge step forward for AI technology, which is set to have a major presence within the growth of the metaverse. GPT-4 is initially available to ChatGPT plus subscribers, and has already been integrated into platforms like Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
Lamina1 unveil early access program. Snow Crash author and Metaverse visionary Neal Stephenson’s vision for an open metaverse ecosystem has announced it’s first partners and confirmed it is entering an early access stage. The early access will allow companies like HTC, Dubit, and Neon Media to test the blockchain’s design and functionality.
In Funding
Tilia announce new strategic investment. J.P Morgan were amongst the investors who have chosen to back the payment platform which has thrived in digital economies like Second life. The investment is set to allow Tilia to achieve its goal of ensuring financial services in the metaverse are easily adopted and regulated.
DressX grab $15 million. Dress X emerged as a platform for digital only fashion clothes in 2020, with funds allowing the organisation to pursue its mission of disrupting the fashion industry using digital technology. It will achieve this by growing it’s community and improving it’s NFT marketplace and app.
Zeiss take majority stake in Tooz Technologies. Zeiss, an established German optical systems manufacturer, has purchased a majority share of the AR/VR optics creator from their original 50/50% split co-partner Deutsche Telekom. The company, founded in 2018, will now be solely led by Zeiss as they look to advance the manufacture of smart lenses.
Keep an eye on
Google discontinues enterprise edition 2 smart glasses. In a device support FAQ, Google confirmed that it will no longer be selling Glass Enterprise 2, with support ending 15th September 2023. Google Glass launched as an enterprise product in 2017, hot on the heels of a heavily criticised consumer launch. No reason has been given as to why Google have dropped the device.
Pokémon’s web3 plans face backlash. After a job listing by The Pokémon Company International encouraged applicants to have knowledge of blockchain, NFT and web3, a move into the metaverse was divisive for Pokémon fans, with some worried about misrepresentation of the franchise. Nintendo, co-owners of the company, suggested potential interest in web3 in 2022.
Couple marry in Taco Bell metaverse wedding. Winners of a 2022 competition held by the fast food giant were hitched in the ceremony which took place within a virtual taco bell outlet created in the virtual world Decentraland. The wedding ceremony, hosted by actor Kal Penn, was genuine and sealed with both real life and online avatar kisses.
Lego enter metaverse with Epic Games. The Danish toy manufacturer have announced that they wish to diversify their portfolio of entertainment offerings, with a virtual world in Fortnite prepared. The organisation made an investment of $2 million into Epic Games in 2022, with the goal of building a safe and secure metaverse platform for children.
Events to be at
March 20 San Francisco | GDC Conference
April 11 Online | Insights Live: Growth of Web3 and Retail
April 12 Laval & Online | Laval Virtual
May 09 Online | Insights Live: Human Progress and the Programmable World
June 13 Online | Insights Live: Metaverse vs Web3: A Convergence?
November 30 Rotterdam | The 7th International VR Awards
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments and your thoughts on weddings in the metaverse to team@aixr.org.
March 20 2023 Edition - Issue 11