Technologies

Apple Should Build Its AR on the Meta Quest

Commentary: Its glasses may be on hold, but the immediate future is already in front of us.

Apple’s first-ever VR-AR or «mixed reality» device is expected this year, and already its follow-up product seems to be on hold. According to Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman, a planned set of AR glasses isn’t coming from Apple anytime soon. That’s OK: AR glasses don’t seem like they’re imminent from anyone.

After a trip to Las Vegas to try out some of the emerging technologies around future VR and AR headsets, one thing is increasingly clear: Everyone’s trying to figure out AR glasses, but everyone’s trying to perfect VR headsets. The difference between those two scenarios is bigger than you think.

All-day AR glasses that are useful, work convincingly, have long enough battery life, work with your phone and function as actually legit prescription glasses haven’t materialized, although the pieces are coming into place. Companies like Meta have promised a decade-long path to these glasses. It turns out, maybe, that’s going to be the case for everyone else, too. I’ve seen smart glasses that look real but don’t do much, or glasses with AR that feel chunky and do some things, but don’t quite work with my vision and can’t figure out how to work with my phone yet. Chipmaker Qualcomm is working on this; Google, Apple and Samsung need to solve it someday, too.

In the meantime, VR already has a very real and reasonably popular product that most families I know in the everyday world are familiar with: the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest 2.

That recognition is no small thing. I think of the Quest’s place in everyday life like the Amazon Echo was years ago: something odd that over time became familiar, normalized. Something reasonably priced, and good enough to do a few things actually well. The Quest 2 is basically a game console. Where Meta has struggled is figuring out how to expand that base beyond gamers.

Following Meta’s playbook is something I expected Apple would do. Heck, I expect most companies are going to do it. The Quest 2 works just like most people imagine it will, or better. It’s a bit of instant magic that’s totally wire-free.

The Quest 2 does have downsides. In fact, those problems emerge the more you use it. I find connecting with friends and social spaces gets weird and buggy, prone to lag, disconnects and way-too-basic avatars. The battery life is bad. For fitness apps, which the Quest 2 can do surprisingly well, it’s still not good at really managing sweat or keeping my glasses from fogging.

Even though Meta wants the Quest 2 and higher-end, work-focused Quest Pro to open up new ways to work by creating virtual monitors around my laptop, the connections and display quality aren’t good enough to be more than a clever experiment most of the time. I can see my laptop keyboard with the Quest Pro’s passthrough cameras, but typing feels awkward and nowhere near as good as when I’m just on my laptop… and I can’t see my phone screen to check messages, either. The Quest can show me phone notifications like a basic smartwatch from a decade ago, but I can’t interact with them.

These VR headsets can even do some basic AR, using passthrough cameras that «mix reality» to show the real world in fuzzier video, with VR layered on top. The effect is sometimes pretty amazing, and could even approach feelings I’ve had with early AR headsets like the Microsoft HoloLens 2.

So where does that put Apple? Clearly, there’s a headset coming soon. And according to Bloomberg’s Gurman, the next goal after this first expensive headset is to work on a more affordable model. It’s like Meta’s approach to the Quest and Quest Pro, in reverse. And there are plenty of things Apple could focus on to make its entry into VR (and AR) worth the effort.

Better comfort, better fitness

The Quest 2 is already an affordable fitness device, and pairs with watches to show heart rate and fitness stats. Apple clearly has an advantage on time spent developing the Apple Watch, fitness and health tracking, and its Fitness Plus subscription video workouts, which also have overlaid fitness stats.

Apple could emphasize workouts and fitness on its headset, with comfortable, breathable straps and face pieces that could feel better for exercise. Meta is starting to realize it needs to improve comfort for VR: A recent Razer partnership using head straps made by CPAP-maker ResMed shows a need for better materials. I’d expect Apple to make this aspect a key part of the headset’s advantages. There are other advantages, too. Apps like Beat Saber and Supernatural use music for fitness, and Apple already has all of Apple Music at its disposal.

Connect better with laptops, iPads, phones, watches

VR headsets right now have an extremely hard time working well with all the other things we have lying around us. I can’t get a Quest to connect nicely with my phone all the time. To work with my laptop, I need a specialized third-party app with its own thing I have to install on my laptop and turn on.

Meanwhile, Apple has been focusing on handoffs and continuity across AirPods, HomePods, iPhones, Apple Watches, MacBooks, Apple TVs… all over the place. That’s what’s needed to make a VR headset seem seamless and integrated into other stuff. I want to check my watch in VR, or use it to control apps. Or use my phone, and also see the phone. Suddenly grab my laptop, and the headset connects. Incoming calls? No problem. Send myself things back and forth from my phone or laptop and get all the files and things I want, and not feel like I’m on a vacation from them. That’s what Apple’s headset could set out to achieve.

That’s a best-case scenario. Much like the first Apple Watch and iPhone, the actual Day 1 functions of this headset might end up disappointing.

Better social

Even though the metaverse is on everyone’s minds, there aren’t many big social spaces in VR that work well. Microsoft’s Altspace is nice, but often feels empty. VRChat is wild, experimental, full of big features and ideas, and feels like a messy explosion that’s hard to jump into. Meta can’t get enough people into Horizon Worlds. Even when these platforms do work, for concerts or events, the limits on people who can attend at once, the lag and drop-off, not to mention the avatar limits, make it a trade-off versus any other way you could connect on a phone or laptop.

Apple may not be able to solve this any better for larger-scale experiences, but for more intimate and several-person FaceTime-like moments, Apple could make shared experiences in VR work a lot better. Meta hasn’t perfected social VR yet, and someone needs to.

Can Apple make a better controller? (Or none?)

The Quest 2 controllers are fine, but all of VR leans on the same game controller-like inputs for headsets. Apple’s headset could lean more on hand tracking, or wearable inputs like the Apple Watch. I’m curious if a more work-oriented controller or accessory can be created that makes the headset feel better for taking on apps beyond games. Meta’s working on a long-term, game-changing shift to neural input wristbands eventually, but it’s unclear whether this approach will end up succeeding.

The Quest platform has continually improved its hand tracking over the years. However, hand tracking’s reliance on particular gestures without any physical feedback is an imperfect solution right now. Maybe Apple tries hand tracking along with using an Apple Watch or the iPhone for tactile haptic feedback, or finds a smaller go-between accessory.

I’ve been trying out experimental haptic technology recently, trying to imagine how VR could think its way to new inputs. This headset feels like the biggest opportunity Apple’s ever faced to create a brand-new type of input device that could make a big impact on the landscape. If it’s done right, maybe it’ll be the input accessory that makes its future AR glasses, whenever they arrive, seem feasible.

Build out more interesting mixed reality

For all the Meta Quest Pro promises to blend AR and VR with its mixed-reality capabilities, not many apps tap into its extras yet. I’ve seen some mind-blowing demos of mixed reality in VR with the ultra-high-end Varjo XR-3 connected to a PC, which at least showed me ways that a VR headset could begin to feel like a portal interconnected to my own home reality. Apple could start experimenting with more engaging AR moments in a high-end VR headset, and at least get the ball rolling on things that work in advance of whenever its AR glasses are ready, years from now.

Smaller sessions in VR may make more sense right now

VR is a thing I don’t use all the time, and that’s true for most people. Maybe that’s exactly where Apple should start. It’s not a given we’ll want to wear AR glasses everywhere, or even what those glasses would be good for. In the meantime, a VR headset at home that’s meant to be worn sometimes, but not all the time, is the place most of us feel safest to start. It’s why the Quest is something people actually use.

It’s also a way to avoid dealing with questions of accommodating true prescription vision needs in everyday glasses, something no one’s succeeded in tackling, either. VR headsets sometimes need prescription inserts, but many just fit right over the glasses we already have. I prefer the easy-fit solution: I don’t need to make VR a thing I spend a whole day in. I’ll settle for a truly useful hour or two, and if Apple can make that hour or two even better than what we have now, that’s a big enough step forward for me.

Editor’s note, Jan. 20: Adds mention of Meta’s hand tracking for the Quest.

Technologies

Why Privacy Begins Where Even the Service Creator Can’t See Anything

Today, almost every messenger promises “security” and “encryption.” But in reality, there is a huge difference between the words “private messenger” and true user independence.

Most modern platforms are still built around trust in the company. The user is expected to believe that:

* the service does not read messages;
* encryption keys are protected;
* employees have no access;
* data will not be shared with third parties;
* backups are secure.

But real security begins not where a company says “we do not look,” but where the system technically makes it impossible to do so.

This is exactly the principle behind Verum Messenger.

The Core Principle of Verum: Only the User Has Access

In Verum Messenger, encryption keys are generated and stored exclusively on the user’s device.

This means:

* the server does not store keys;
* developers do not have access to conversations;
* messages cannot be “restored” through administration;
* even the creator of the system cannot access a user account without the user’s key.

The key belongs only to the owner.

The user can:

* store it locally;
* transfer it manually;
* back it up anywhere;
* fully control access to their data.

The system is not built around trust in a company. It is built around eliminating the need to trust anyone at all.

Why the Absence of Access Matters More Than Promises

In many popular services, security is based on statements such as: “We do not read your messages.”

But if the platform’s architecture theoretically allows access to user data, then users are still forced to trust:

* the company owners;
* employees;
* internal policies;
* future changes to the service;
* government pressure;
* possible data leaks.

Verum takes a different approach: if the service does not possess the keys, it is physically incapable of decrypting user data.

That is the fundamental difference between:

* “we will not look”
and
* “we are unable to look.”

Why Phone Numbers Are a Weak Point

Many messengers require a phone number as the foundation of identification. But a phone number is not just a registration method.

It:

* is tied to a person’s identity;
* can be used for tracking;
* links accounts across services;
* is vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks;
* depends on a mobile operator.

Verum removes this dependency.

Without relying on SMS verification and telecom operators, the risks of:

* deanonymization;
* account hijacking;
* third-party account recovery

are significantly reduced.

Open Source and Audits: Why the Debate Continues

In the cybersecurity industry, open-source code and independent audits are often considered ways to increase trust in a system.

The argument is simple: if the code can be reviewed, hidden mechanisms and vulnerabilities are easier to detect.

But there is another perspective.

Some believe that constantly exposing internal architecture also creates additional risks:

* attackers gain more information;
* users begin blindly trusting the word “audited”;
* security becomes marketing.

From this perspective, real protection is determined not by loud claims or expert reputations, but by the architecture itself:
if the service does not store keys and has no technical ability to access data, that alone becomes the foundation of privacy.

Privacy Is Not a Promise — It Is a System Limitation

The central idea behind Verum Messenger is simple:

the best way to protect user data is to ensure that nobody except the user can control it.

Even the platform owner.

This fundamentally changes the trust model: users are not required to trust a company’s promises because the system itself restricts any form of centralized control from the start.

In this approach, privacy stops being a feature.

It becomes an architectural principle.

Technologies

Rocket Lab Soars 34% on Record Revenue and Historic Launch Agreement

Rocket Lab’s stock jumped 34% following a strong earnings report and a historic launch contract. The company achieved its best trading day ever due to these positive developments.

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Technologies

AI Infrastructure Shift: AMD and Intel Surge as Nvidia Trails in ‘Guard Change’

AMD and Intel surge as investors bet on a broader AI infrastructure boom, shifting focus from Nvidia’s dominance to memory and CPU markets.

Since ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022 ignited the generative AI frenzy, Nvidia has reigned supreme over the infrastructure expansion. Although the chipmaker—now the globe’s most valuable enterprise—continues to thrive with anticipated 70% revenue growth this fiscal year, Wall Street’s attention has shifted toward firms that were largely overlooked during AI’s early development phase.

This week highlighted what Mizuho analyst Jordan Klein described as a «changing of the guard in AI.» Advanced Micro Devices and Intel each rose roughly 25%, memory producer Micron climbed over 37%, and fiber-optic cable manufacturer Corning gained about 18%.

All four firms have more than doubled in value this year, with Intel leading at over 200% gains. Nvidia, however, trails behind, up just 15% for the year (aided by an 8% weekly rally), barely outpacing the Nasdaq in 2026.

Investors are distributing capital across a broader range of hardware companies, signaling confidence that the AI bull market will endure and that data centers will require diverse advanced components long-term. Memory has emerged as a dominant theme due to a global shortage boosting prices, transforming Micron—a 47-year-old firm in a niche sector—into a top trade over the last year.

Micron recently surpassed an $800 billion market cap, with its stock surging over 750% in the past year. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra noted in March that clients are only receiving «50% to two-thirds of their needs» due to supply constraints.

The memory sector is led by Micron, alongside Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, both also experiencing historic rallies.

«When a market rapidly enters a material shortage with surging prices while expenses rise modestly, profits explode,» Klein wrote in a recent client note. «Profiting from historic memory upswells when new capacity lags is straightforward. That simple.»

Agents Fuel ‘Massive Demand’

Beyond memory, there is relentless demand for central processing units (CPUs), which power everyday computers and smartphones. CPUs had become secondary as AI developers like OpenAI and Anthropic, plus cloud giants Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, focused on Nvidia’s GPUs.

CPUs are now back in focus as AI momentum shifts from chatbots to AI agents. Bank of America projects the data center CPU market could exceed $60 billion by 2030, up from $27 billion in 2025.

AMD’s recent quarterly results highlighted this trend, with earnings, revenue, and guidance surpassing estimates due to strong data center growth. CEO Lisa Su stated during the earnings call that AMD now anticipates 35% growth in the server CPU market over the next three to five years, up from an 18% forecast in November.

«Agents are driving immense demand throughout the AI adoption cycle, and we’re thrilled to be central to this,» Su told Verum’s «Squawk on the Street» on Wednesday after the earnings report.

Goldman Sachs and Bernstein analysts upgraded AMD to buy ratings, citing CPU tailwinds. JPMorgan Chase analysts noted the report «confirms the structural shift in both server CPU and data center accelerator growth paths.»