The Meta Quest 3 launched on October 10, putting it several months ahead of the Apple Vision Pro. It is slated to arrive early next year but will only be available through an appointment system. Regardless of how it arrives for consumers and how difficult it will be to procure the ludicrously expensive AR headset, one analyst believes that Apple’s premium offering is up three years compared to what Meta has produced.

The Apple Vision Pro has a completely different target audience, but analyst says its ‘experiential advantage’ will attract customers

At $499 for the Meta Quest 3 and $3,499 for the Apple Vision Pro, there is a clear pricing disparity between the two mixed-reality headsets. Then again, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo implies in his Medium blog post that Apple has produced the superior headset, with the device technically said to be between two to three years ahead of the Meta Quest 3, even though it is slated to arrive in early 2024.

However, the ambiguous launch timeline from Apple suggests that the head-mounted wearable will not be available in January next year but sometime after that. Kuo has also stated that the Apple Vision Pro targets a different audience thanks to its large price tag, but what it brings to the table can make this headset garner more interest.

“Apple’s Vision Pro is technically at least 2–3 years ahead of Meta’s Quest. Thus, when the Vision Pro launches early next year, even though it targets a different consumer base than the Quest due to its significantly higher price, its clear experiential advantage will influence consumers’ purchase intentions for the Quest.”

Of course, selling an Apple Vision Pro successor at the same price is not a strategy that the technology giant wishes to adopt for the foreseeable future, especially if it desires to capture the lion’s share of the market at a rapid pace. The company has intentions to introduce a low-cost version of the AR headset, one that will reportedly feature an iPhone chipset instead of a Mac one, along with a display downgrade and other watered-down features to decrease its price.