Analytics, Digital, Design In Action
Metaverse goes Mainstream
Barely a week after Facebook’s – or should we say, Meta Platform’s – showcasing of its aspirations we have Microsoft showing that it, too, would be part of the Metaverse. Though, it would bring PowerPoint along with it.
Microsoft would start with AR/VR applications for its Teams app. Microsoft is entering the race to build a metaverse inside Teams, just days after Facebook rebranded to Meta in a push to build virtual spaces for both consumers and businesses. Microsoft is bringing Mesh, a collaborative platform for virtual experiences, directly into Microsoft Teams next year. Microsoft showcased it with partner Accenture and, yes, during the video the participants were ecstatic over team meetings.
Originally coined in a 90s sci-fi novel, Metaverse is quickly becoming mainstream. Alongside Web 3.0 and Crypto. One could say we’re at the same point where the Internet was 30 years ago. To Microsoft’s credit, though, most generational platform shifts occur at the enterprise level first (think PCs, cellphones, internet, and mobile phones – recall your parent’s Blackberrys, RIP RIM). In any case, Microsoft can always be counted doing big tech things in the meantime.
Meanwhile, AR pioneer Niantic – responsible for Pokemon GO – unveiled its Developer Kit, also for the Metaverse. In the program’s launch livestream, Niantic CEO John Hanke referenced his blog post where he called the metaverse a “dystopian nightmare.” But even as Facebook changes its name to Meta and advertises a future dominated by VR headsets, Niantic is imagining an alternative: a metaverse that brings people together in person, rather than in a virtual world.
Create on Insta
Speaking of creators, Instagram’s creator subscriptions nearing launch, App Store listing reveals. Instagram is poised to launch creator subscriptions into broader testing. According to two third-party app intelligence services, Instagram has recently added in-app purchase options to its U.S. app that are intended for “Instagram Subscriptions.”
This echoes Snap’s focus on empowering creators –a topic we’ve covered deeply in the past. Indeed, from companies to VCs, there is agrowing bet on empowering creators, who, in turn, bring users.
Banking for Teens
Square’s Cash App opens up to teens ages 13 to 17 with parental oversight. The app was previously only available to people aged 18 or older, and while minors will have to get their parent or guardians’ permission to use the app (and that parent-figure will have significant oversight), they’ll still be able to use some of the app’s most popular features. Meanwhile, Cash App’s competitors, Venmo, have yet to strike a similar move.
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