Meta Set to Open First Retail Store Next Month

APR 25 2022·Updated JAN 20 2023

Story

Image credit: Independent

The Facts

Meta will open its first retail space in their Burlingame, California campus next month.
Meta
The store will be used to showcase Meta's new range of virtual and augmented reality devices such as the Portal, Meta Quest 2 and Ray Ban Stories.
Independent
The devices will be available for purchase at the store as Meta continues to invest heavily in the metaverse and virtual reality.
SaltWire
Meta announced that they are also set to begin testing tools for selling digital assets in the metaverse, with fees for creators of up to 47.5% of each transaction.
SaltWire
The statement comes after Mark Zuckerberg posted on Instagram last week a picture of himself immersed in virtual reality in a retail-like location.
TechCrunch

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The "metaverse" is just a band-aid that Big Tech companies are using to stay one step ahead of regulators. The very firms that turned the first version of the internet into a cesspool for spreading misinformation, abusing user privacy, and undermining democracy are now moving on to greener pastures.

wapo

Narrative B

The metaverse is the next generation of the internet - just imagine PCs, game consoles, and smartphones all combining the physical and digital world in a single, immersive ecosystem. This could be an $8-13 trillion market by 2030, with as many as 5 billion users worldwide. There are a lot of details to work out along the way, but the future is almost here!