Apple vs. Microsoft: Vision Pro, HoloLens, and a familiar pattern in a classic tech rivalry

A new chapter in a classic tech rivalry: It’s difficult not to notice the similarities between Apple’s new Vision Pro, and Microsoft’s HoloLens, unveiled more than eight years ago. 

• As you’ll hear on this week’s GeekWire Podcast, the similarities even extend to the language used by Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday, and then-HoloLens leader Alex Kipman at a Microsoft event way back in 2015. 

• The comparison of Vision Pro and HoloLens, and the way the devices match a certain historical pattern, is one of our topics this week in a broader discussion about the new Apple device and what it means for the future of technology and computing.

• Joining the show is John Tomizuka, co-founder and CTO of Seattle-based tech company Taqtile, which has been making HoloLens applications since the beginning. Taqtile said this week that it plans to develop software for the Vision Pro, as well.  

Listen here, or subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Stephanie King (above) is bringing a fresh take to the corner store. The grocery industry veteran is the founder and CEO of Kitchen & Market, a small and growing chain of mini grocery stores in the Seattle area.  

• King’s mission is to bring back the convenience and customer service that comes with a corner store vibe. “You can just swing in, grab whatever you need for the night and there is none of that emotional dread you feel when you’re pulling into a grocery store parking lot,” she told GeekWire.  

• The entrepreneur launched the business in early 2020 and pivoted to a meal kit delivery service when the pandemic hit. The company still delivers the kits and that experience helped her team test different types of prepared foods which are now sold at the physical stores. 

• King said Amazon’s tech-focused grocery strategy makes sense for some use cases “but I didn’t think it felt good for a grocery store. It felt cold.”

• GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser brought home a Kitchen & Market meal kit and his family tried the chicken tinga tostadas. Read the review, and learn more about the business.

Headed to the Seattle Storm game on Sunday? Coinbase partnered with the WNBA team to offer fans an NFT commemorating Sue Bird’s jersey retirement. Here’s how to get it. 

Hot links:

• Jeff Bezos bought a single share of Amazon last month. Nobody knows why. (Bloomberg)

• A federal judge in Seattle ruled that Apple and Amazon must face a consumer antitrust lawsuit alleging that the tech giants conspired to artificially inflate the price of iPhones and iPads sold on Amazon’s marketplace. (Reuters)

• Microsoft is adding a new voice mode to Bing’s chatbot, with support for five languages. (The Verge)