Mark Zuckerberg’s Quest flex seen as his personal iPhone second

In an Instagram publish, the Meta founder on Tuesday dismissed the premium combined actuality headset as inferior to his personal Quest 3 combined actuality headset each in value and efficiency, calling the latter the “better product, period”.

However Zuck’s bravado is unflatteringly being in comparison with the overly hasty obituary for the iPhone written by rival Steve Ballmer when the revolutionary system first launched almost 17 years in the past.

“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share,” the ex-Microsoft CEO famously predicted in 2007 in a quote that has since aged very poorly.

Like Zuckerberg, Ballmer primarily took challenge with the value tag of the cellphone, ignoring the potential worth it might supply customers via a thriving digital app economic system.

“Five hundred dollars? Fully subsidized with a plan? I said that is the most expensive phone in the world!” Ballmer stated in a separate interview. “And it doesn’t appeal to business customers, because it doesn’t have a keyboard—which makes it not a very good email machine.”

The “Steve Ballmer iPhone video” is 16 years previous. Price watching the complete 2-minute clip. I truly assume it received worse because the video went on. Ballmer implied a Motorola Q might do every part an iPhone can do for simply $99. Sounds acquainted?
pic.twitter.com/Rf2c7SmjA2

— Neil Cybart (@neilcybart) February 14, 2024

In Zuckerberg’s current criticism of Apple’s headset, the Meta founder equally trashed every part from the Imaginative and prescient Professional’s design to its consolation and practicality along with its price, at seven instances the value of his Quest 3.

“Is Zuckerberg channeling Steve Ballmer by trying to diss Apple?” requested Glen Kacher, founder and chief funding officer at Palo Alto-based wealth supervisor Gentle Avenue Capital.

Is the Quest nearer to Nokia or Blackberry

Ballmer ultimately went on to remorse his lack of foresight, which he blamed on a deeply ingrained cultural hostility on the firm in the direction of increasing into the {hardware} house.

Like watching a 2007 Nokia fan telling you iPhone will not be that superior as a result of you are able to do the identical with Symbian.

He might’ve simply stated nothing, taken the most effective issues of visionOS, add eye monitoring again and be a king. Now he’s received his personal Ballmer iPhone video. Stunning misstep https://t.co/Z4Ac4sR0Pl

— Tina Debove Nigro ᯅ (@tina__nigro) February 14, 2024

In line with the previous Microsoft boss, senior administration’s considering on the time was very a lot anchored within the simply delineated enterprise mannequin that separated chips, system and software program makers from private computer systems. The corporate didn’t anticipate the shift in the direction of end-to-end vertical integration that Apple popularized within the cell house. 

The comparability with Ballmer isn’t solely correct, although. Whereas the Microsoft boss stated his biggest mistake was limiting their focus to Windows Mobile somewhat than coming into the handset enterprise earlier with a real iPhone competitor, Zuckerberg’s downside is simply the other: He already has the {hardware}—it’s simply not catching on.

A better analogy is the chance that Meta’s Quest is the Nokia or Blackberry of combined actuality headsets, a mass market system that lacks sufficient compelling content material and helpful purposes as a result of it didn’t hold tempo with innovation within the tech business. 

It was solely with this month’s arrival of the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional that the know-how abruptly gained broader popular culture prominence, in a blow to the Quest 3 that launched solely 4 months earlier.

Zuckerberg did obtain some moral support in response to his Ballmer-esque video, although. 

“He’s one of the most impressive CEOs there is,” wrote Kaushik Subramanian, a associate at early stage investor EQT Ventures, who as soon as labored for the Meta founder. “Don’t bet against Zuck!”