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Meta Axes Popular VR App, Prioritizing Ray-Ban Glasses
16 Jan
Summary
- Meta is shutting down its VR fitness app Supernatural.
- The move is to reallocate resources to smart Ray-Ban glasses.
- Antitrust advocates see this as a dominant platform stifling competition.
Meta Platforms Inc. is winding down its virtual reality fitness app, Supernatural, a decision impacting numerous users who subscribed to the $9.99-a-month service. The app's content will remain available indefinitely, but no new content will be added. This move allows Meta to divert resources towards its smart Ray-Ban glasses, with production potentially doubling this year.
The closure of Supernatural comes less than three years after Meta acquired Within, the app's developer. This acquisition faced scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission due to concerns about anti-competitive practices. Lina Khan, a former FTC chair, views this shutdown as validation of antitrust concerns, stating it exemplifies how dominant platforms can eliminate choice by acquiring competitors and then abandoning markets.
Supernatural was praised for its innovative blend of fitness and gaming, offering users an engaging and effective workout. Its demise highlights Meta's strategic pivot towards AI-driven products, leaving many users disappointed and concerned about the platform's future content strategy and its impact on user choice.
