For most its time, computers interact with humans through the screen. This is no longer the case.
From the early days of computers, to desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones, as well as some other smart devices, it's safe to say that a screen is what they have in common.
To go beyond the screen, researchers have ventured onwards to develop Virtual Reality (VR), as well as Augmented Reality (AR).
In the so-called virtual worlds, users are no longer restricted to the interactions they were bounded when using mouse, keyboard or other peripherals.
By entering the virtual worlds, the boundaries between reality and computer-generated worlds start to fade.
And when Mark Zuckerberg and Meta unleashed what it calls the 'Horizon Worlds', it started showing a bold vision in the so-called metaverse.
While many followed suit, some others don't because they have different opinions regarding this so-called virtual world of Meta.
And this time, executives from three different tech companies are taking turns to mock Mark Zuckerberg's ambition.
Over the past year, Zuckerberg has overhauled Facebook into Meta, and spent billions of dollars to fund his vision, hoping that one day, the metaverse will be the way that people "interact with the world."
Billionaire Snap Inc. CEO and founder Evan Spiegel blasted that idea.
He argues that most people would prefer a lighter touch of the virtual world using augmented reality (AR), rather than having a full blown out-of-this-world digital experience.
Augmented reality, which broadly speaking superimposes digital information on the real world, allows people to harness computing power without forcing them to rely on a single screen, Spiegel said. Unlike a VR headsets, the combination of phones and augmented glasses is “more immersive.”
Previously, Spiegel also said that the term metaverse is "ambiguous and hypothetical" and that his company also refuses to use the word.
During the Tech Live conference, Greg "Joz" Joswiak, the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc. was asked to complete the phrase "the metaverse is…" to which he replied
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer also frowned upon the term.
The word was actually coined by Neal Stephenson through his novel Snow Crash. But many considered Philip Rosedale's Linden Lab that attempted to commercialize the metaverse through Second Life.
After it, many more emerged, including Roblox, Fortnite, Ready Player 1, and many more.
Meta is just one in the business, but as the largest entity, many other projects tend to gravitate around Meta.
Other big companies include Microsoft, Nvidia and more.
While all agree that VR, AR and mixed reality are the future, the "metaverse" Meta is promising, is mystifying, and kind of messy.
At this time, the term "metaverse" is exciting because it promises lots of things.
This is why Zuckerberg and company are leveraging that hype to create even more promises.
