Should Apple be worried about Meta’s AR glasses product, Orion? Via Investing.com

Investing.com — Oppenheimer analysts believe Apple’s (NASDAQ: ) Vision Pro remains unthreatened by Meta’s (NASDAQ: ) recently unveiled AR glasses prototype, the Orion.

Despite Orion’s impressive features, including its lightweight design (about 100 grams) and a wide 70-degree field of view (FOV), analysts suggest it’s not yet a competitor to Apple’s Vision Pro.

The key reason for this, according to Oppenheimer, is Orion’s cost and market availability.

“Our checks indicate that the Orion’s BOM cost easily exceeds $3,000 compared to $2,000 for the Vision Pro,” the firm states.

A significant portion of that cost is said to come from the silicon carbide (SiC) wafer used in Orion, which is priced at more than $350 per pair of glasses.

Oppenheimer explains that this is before factoring in additional costs for coating and lithography.

They add that while Meta’s use of SiC contributes to Orion’s impressive FOV, it also increases costs, making the product less commercially viable in the short term.

Most AR glasses on the market use high refractive index glass, which is cheaper but offers a smaller FOV.

“The higher refractive index allows for a larger FOV in AR glasses,” explains Oppenheimer, noting that Meta’s choice of SiC gives Orion a competitive edge in FOV, but complicates cost management.

Analysts also point out that while Orion’s light weight and FOV are impressive, its display resolution and refresh rate lag behind Apple’s Vision Pro.

They claim that “display resolution and speed are as important to a good user experience as weight and FOV.”

Oppenheimer concludes that Orion’s advanced design is several years away from reaching the commercial scalability that Apple’s Vision Pro will achieve by 2024, keeping Apple in a strong competitive position.