Mark is trying to own the future of computing with others. The Meta CEO talked about his plans for a new computing platform at this year's Meta. In each generation of computing, there is an open and closed system, according to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. A metaverse built by many different developers and companies is going to be better for everyone.
In computing, openness is a good thing. People can use tech in creative ways that the designers didn't think of. Some people who support that ideal might be surprised by the definition of an "open ecosystems" by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He doesn't describe a world where people can use a new platform on their own terms. Instead, he is promoting one built on corporate deals and case-by-case permission, a system that may allow more big players than usual into a tech sandbox but often leaves software designers and ordinary users in the dust.
The definitions of "open" and "Closed" are based on partnerships.
In a conversation with my colleague, Alex Heath, Facebook's founder explained his definitions of open and closed. A lot of the value just flows toward the closed ecosystems over time. You have a lot of partnerships in the open environment. Microsoft didn't build the chips, they didn't build the PCs, and they didn't build the App Store It was all the key stuff that was created.
This is meant as a comparison with Apple, which manages every part of its supply chain so you can't buy a non-Apple device from a non-Apple hardware maker. It casts Meta's approach to virtual reality in a less positive light.
In order to understand why, let's take a look at the description of those pre-iPhone days given by Mark.
In PCs, I think you’d say that Windows during the ’90s and 2000s especially was really the primary ecosystem in computing. The open ecosystem was winning.
The Microsoft of the 1990s and early 2000s were hilarious. It's true the company formed supply chain partnerships in a way that Apple didn't. They dictated their terms with an iron fist as well. Hardware companies were forced to pay royalties on non- Windows computers. It smothered Netscape to make room for its own internet explorer. The proposal was referred to as "knifing the baby" by the company. The US government did a great job.
The Quest is more open than the mobile device.
Regulators almost broke up Microsoft because it was so far away from being open. We got a movie about a Bill Gates stand in who murders programmers. It is a reference point that I might avoid if I were fighting antitrust suits all over the world. Thanks to years of intense legal pressure, Microsoft is open to some degree.
I want to give Meta full credit for the fact that the Quest is more open than the Apple device. The operating system lets you sideload apps with settings changes that are relatively easy to understand. The Quest Pro will continue this tradition according to Meta.
Sideloading is rarely advertised by Meta and it wasn't discussed yesterday. Here are some of the highlights from the keynote.
There is a partnership between Meta and Microsoft that includes Windows365 support, as well as the ability to use Meta in other applications.
Workrooms / Teams threatens to make two of my job's least convenient conferencing options even more confusing, and I'm glad Meta is making them. It is clearly going further than Apple in several places. Come on, but please. The iPad is compatible with Microsoft applications. It's possible to use a limited service on some phones. Apple has a large accessory market. There are a lot of software development kits andAPIs used by developers.
Many different developers and companies are not included in the user experience of the mobile device operating system. The problem for most critics is that Apple has too much power to dictate the rules of inclusion.
Even after yesterday's expansion of Worlds, Worlds doesn't support competing headset platforms like SteamVR, which is an understandable gap when lots of headsets are niche and unique. 3D models can be imported into Meta's metaverse, but you can't take your friends list with you. Tools for outside developers are offered, but they end up in a Meta-owned world, not a robust independent protocol like the web.
Apple uses a lot of different developers.
Meta doesn't pass the Microsoft bar of unbundling hardware, software, and accessories. Since the end of the year, the company hasn't released a third-party branded virtual reality headset. It's selling smart glasses with eyewear monopolist Luxottica in a very clear play to build trust using the famous Ray-Ban brand. There are exclusive games on the store. The company's own employees don't want to hang out in Worlds because they don't want to play Meta exclusives.
Huge parts of Meta's "openness" can evaporate if they become inconvenient. You are in a strong bargaining position if you are the leader of the company. If you are a small developer trying to push the limits of the Quest, you might be reprimanded for trying to compete with a Metaapp. You won't get past the setup screen if you want a Quest headset but not a social profile. The company fights competition in the non-VR web in the same way that successful virtual reality studios do.
Meta has promoted the benefits of locking down. It is said that strict app store standards help people have a positive first experience in virtual reality. You can find friends across different apps with a mandatory Facebook account. It's possible that open versus closed is a smokescreen to hide the real issue.
That's not me. The co- founder of Apple is Steve Jobs. He talked about the phone.
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