Meta Set to Abandon VR Meeting Spaces Amid Metaverse Overhaul
In a significant shift, Meta has announced its decision to dismantle the standalone Workrooms app, a virtual reality space designed for remote team meetings and collaborations. Launched with great fanfare in the past, Workrooms was touted as an immersive environment where teams could work together seamlessly. However, according to the company, its Horizon platform has matured enough to support a broad range of productivity apps and tools, rendering Workrooms redundant.
This move comes at a time when Meta is scaling back its metaverse ambitions. The company's Reality Labs division, which oversees its VR endeavors, has been hit hard by significant losses – over $70 billion since 2021 – prompting the layoff of more than 1,000 employees. This restructuring also led to the closure of three VR studios.
As a result of these organizational changes and reduced investment in the metaverse, Meta is now redirecting funds towards wearables, such as its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses. Furthermore, the company will discontinue Horizon managed services, a subscription-based service designed to help organizations manage their Quest headsets.
Users will no longer be able to access the Workrooms app or retrieve their data starting on February 16, although Meta is offering an exception for those who wish to download their data prior to that date.
In a significant shift, Meta has announced its decision to dismantle the standalone Workrooms app, a virtual reality space designed for remote team meetings and collaborations. Launched with great fanfare in the past, Workrooms was touted as an immersive environment where teams could work together seamlessly. However, according to the company, its Horizon platform has matured enough to support a broad range of productivity apps and tools, rendering Workrooms redundant.
This move comes at a time when Meta is scaling back its metaverse ambitions. The company's Reality Labs division, which oversees its VR endeavors, has been hit hard by significant losses – over $70 billion since 2021 – prompting the layoff of more than 1,000 employees. This restructuring also led to the closure of three VR studios.
As a result of these organizational changes and reduced investment in the metaverse, Meta is now redirecting funds towards wearables, such as its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses. Furthermore, the company will discontinue Horizon managed services, a subscription-based service designed to help organizations manage their Quest headsets.
Users will no longer be able to access the Workrooms app or retrieve their data starting on February 16, although Meta is offering an exception for those who wish to download their data prior to that date.
. i get that meta is trying to scale back and focus on other areas, but still, it's hard not to feel a little sad for those who were looking forward to using it 
. what do you think they'll do next? will anyone be able to access their old workrooms data or is it really gone forever 
?
just saw this news and I'm kinda surprised 
meta was so hyped about workrooms but i guess it's not needed anymore 
now we'll have to stick with horizon 
hopefully it'll improve more 
don't wanna lose that metaverse hype tho 
and btw, ray-ban smart glasses are cool 
. Like, Workrooms was actually kinda cool at first and now it's just another thing that's getting the boot? And why should we care? The metaverse is all about immersion and collaboration, but it seems like Meta can't even commit to making it work properly... or at least not in VR meetings spaces 
Plus, I think this move shows that Meta is willing to adapt and evolve with the times. No more unnecessary apps or services holding back their innovation 
It's all about making things better for users! 
i feel like meta was really pushing the boundaries with workrooms and it's a shame they're abandoning it now. but at the same time, it makes sense that they're scaling back on metaverse investments and focusing on more profitable areas like wearables 
i mean, who wouldn't want to rock up some tech to enhance their daily life? 
Can you imagine having to switch to a new app for virtual meetings now? 
. Removing Workrooms might make it easier for teams to use other productivity tools in Horizon, but it's also a loss for remote workers who really needed a dedicated space to collaborate 
