Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai is the latest tech executive to voice their opinions on Apple Vision Pro. After Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that he isn’t thrilled by Apple’s headset, Pichai claims he isn’t fully aware of its existence when briefly asked about it as part of a wider interview with Bloomberg.

Pichai sat down with Bloomberg in an interview that mainly focuses on Google’s AI strategy and the fierce competition the company has faced from the now Microsoft-backed ChatGPT. Although Pichai concedes that he hasn’t used nor seen Apple Vision Pro, he still believes that AR/VR represents the future of personal computing that will enable “more immersive experiences” beyond smartphones.

I literally haven’t used or seen it, but we’ve always felt computing will evolve beyond the black rectangles. We will have more immersive experiences. I’m excited about the potential for the technology.

Sundar Pichai on Apple Vision Pro – Bloomberg

Google is no stranger to the AR/VR industry. The search engine giant launched its first VR platform, dubbed “Cardboard,” in 2014. It required users to assemble a low-cost enclosure with a smartphone inserted, thus acting as the headset’s main hardware. Google followed up with an improved “Daydream” platform in 2016 with a higher-end enclosure and support for external controllers. However, both platforms were not major successes, shuttering down in 2021 and 2019, respectively.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Apple Vision Pro

Last Friday, it was revealed that Zuckerberg held a companywide meeting at Meta to discuss Apple Vision Pro. In the meeting, Zuckerberg seemed ill-impressed with Apple’s headset, stating that it doesn’t offer anything new that Meta engineers weren’t already working on. Vision Pro’s price was a major point of contention for Zuckerberg, who touted the affordability of Meta’s new Quest 3 headset and how his company’s goal is to make VR “as accessible and affordable to everyone as possible.”

Apple unveiled its Vision Pro headset last Monday as part of WWDC 2023. The headset ushers in a new era of “spatial computing” enabled by many new advancements, such as dual 4K micro-OLED displays, a new R1 processor for real-time processing of Vision Pro’s dozen cameras and sensors, and a new “visionOS” software platform navigated by eyes and hands tracking. Apple Vision Pro will initially only be available early next year in the US, starting at $3,499, though it could expand to other countries by the year’s end.