In early February, Patently Apple reported that Samsung Electronics announced at their 'Galaxy Unpacked 2' event in San Francisco that it would jointly develop a next-generation extended reality (XR) headset with Google and Qualcomm, knowing full well that Apple was going to introduce Apple Vision at their WWDC23 event.

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Now we're learning from a Korean news site, that Meta may join hands with hardware giant LG Electronics to come up with a product that will overthrow Apple's "Vision Pro." LG Electronics will also be able to step deep into the metaverse market through collaboration. Once mass production is confirmed, it is expected to be equipped with various parts from LG Group affiliates. Mass production is undertaken by LG Electronics, and LG Display, LG Innotek, and LG Energy Solution are supplying parts.

It is evaluated that Meta easily secured technology for this joint development, and LG Electronics established a foothold for a new growth engine. Earlier, Cho Joo-wan, president of LG Electronics, said, "We are now declaring that we will become a smart light solution company that connects and expands customer experiences in all spaces where customers live, including homes, commercial spaces, mobile spaces including vehicles, and even the metaverse, which is a virtual space. We will share the content when it materializes," reports Korea's Maekyung.

LG Electronics filed a patent related to mixed reality (MR) in 2019 and has been focusing on research and development (R&D).

Rumors suggest that the prices of next-gen premium headsets from both Samsung and Meta will be in the $2,000 range, making it more palatable for consumers to digest than Apple's Vision Pro. Whether either tech company will actually be able to match Apple's wide range of applications and advanced features is questionable at present. Yet only time will tell.   

On August 27, Patently Apple reported that Apple filed for a trademark update for 'Apple Vision Pro' specifically to add support for 'Electronic hand-held game units." So while Apple didn't reveal the gaming aspect for their 'Vision Pro" headset, it's clear that Apple is aiming to challenge Meta for VR Gaming and that's likely what has set Meta into high gear partnering with LG in an attempt to challenge Apple Vision Pro.

While competition is always good for consumers in forcing pricing down, I'm not sure that either competitor will be able to match Apple's Spatial Computer' capabilities for some time. Then again, they just may prove me wrong.