DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Mark Zuckerberg's 'Year of Efficiency' is paying off for Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Zuckerberg's mission to turnaround Meta's fortunes is working. Meta posted revenues of $32 billion for its second quarter – 11% higher than last year. It's a sign that Zuck's "Year of Efficiency" is paying off. Mark Zuckerberg's been a man on a mission. What is certain right now: Zuck's "Year of Efficiency" is working.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg's, Meta, Zuckerberg, We've, OpenAI's, Kali Hays Organizations: Meta, Morning, Reality Labs

☆ Beyond the metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Pwc | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

However, many consumers — and even business leaders — are still confused about what the metaverse actually is and how it will work. No matter what you call it — the metaverse, spatial computing, the 3D web – when the metaverse is broken down into its component parts, more realistic applications emerge. "We call it Metaverse Technologies for a reason." PwCIt's not just retail; events that have traditionally relied on in-person participation are also embracing a combination of metaverse technologies. The Venice Carnival is just one example of how metaverse technologies can create new ways for people to connect, learn, and experience the world.

Persons: —, Roberto Hernandez, We've, Hernandez, Joe Harrington, Harrington, We're, Alberto Bozzo, Ve.La, PwC Organizations: Technologies, PwC, Venice Carnival, Venice, Companies, Insider Studios Locations: Venice

☆ Meta's VP of Metaverse says 'the metaverse hype is dead,' but that's OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta's VP of Metaverse said the hype cycle for the metaverse is dead, but that's okay. The metaverse team can "put their heads down and build" the experiences, Vishal Shah told Fortune. "I think the metaverse hype is dead. People access Meta's metaverse apps through the company's Quest lineup of headsets, but Apple recently announced the $3,499 Vision Pro headset. Interestingly enough, Apple is avoiding the term metaverse in favor of "spatial computing."

Persons: Metaverse, Vishal Shah, Fortune, Shah, Mark Zuckerberg's, Mark Zuckerberg, NOAH BERGER, Zuckerberg, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Meta, Tim Cook, Greg Joswiak, Andrew, Boz, Bosworth Organizations: Morning, Tech, Facebook, Meta, Getty Images, Anadolu Agency, Getty, The Washington Post, Apple, Wall Street Journal Locations: Utah, Menlo

☆ Before Apple's Vision Pro hits the shelves, lower-priced rival Xreal claims it's near 200k shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Worldwide shipments of VR headsets and augmented reality devices dropped by more than 12% to 9.6 million in 2022, according to CCS Insight. For Vision Pro to be successful, it needs to replace personal computers, said Nicole Peng, senior vice president, mobility, at Canalys. She said that's the value proposition Vision Pro has set up, which is different from what Xreal or Meta offer. "Nreal, Xreal glasses still need to connect with a PC or a phone," Peng said. Apple has not released such figures for Vision Pro.

Persons: Peng Jin, Xreal, Jin, Canalys, Nicole Peng, Peng, Steve Kovach Organizations: Mobile World Congress, MWC, Shanghai, Visual China, Getty, CNBC, Shanghai MWC, Apple, Vision, VR, CCS Insight, Meta, Xreal, Xreal Air, Amazon.com, U.S ., Pro Locations: BEIJING, Canalys, Nreal, U.S, Japan, South Korea, China, Europe

☆ Apple is slashing production forecasts for its $3,500 Vision Pro headset only weeks after unveiling it, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bad news for Apple: it's forecast to sell far fewer units of its $3,500 Vision Pro than planned. The FT reported that the new headset was facing production challenges in China. Apple is being forced to slash production forecasts for the Vision Pro because of supply-chain difficulties and technical woes, per an FT report. But the complexity of its design and production issues in China means it could hit less than half that target, per the outlet. The FT reported that Apple has been dissatisfied with the production of the screens.

Persons: Tim Cook, Cook, Luxshare Organizations: Apple, FT, Morning, Vision, Worldwide Developers Conference Locations: China, Shenzhen

☆ Why Is Apple Getting ‘Spatial’?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When it comes to spatial computing, Collins said, “no one knows what that is — and that provides Apple the opportunity to define it.”Collins used an NFT as an example: If someone tells you about “a digitized receipt of membership,” he said, you might ask follow-up questions like: What is that? How does it work? But if someone says, “I’m launching an NFT,” you might refer to what you already know about nonfungible tokens and be more likely to say, “No thanks, I’m good.”

Persons: Collins, “, ” Collins, ” Organizations: Apple

☆ Apple's Vision Pro or Meta's Quest? Analysts dive into the future of VR tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

He told CNBC's "Tale of the Tape" that the superior technology of the Vision Pro compared to other virtual reality and augmented reality headsets justifies its high price. When asked about Meta's strategy and whether the $299 Quest could compete with Apple's Vision Pro, he said that the two companies are pursuing different approaches. Despite the excitement surrounding Apple's Vision Pro, other analysts have urged caution . AAPL META 1Y line Expected to hit the market in 2024, Apple's Vision Pro allows users to interact with content and popular iPhone apps without a controller. Although the Vision Pro is unlikely to produce tens of billions in sales immediately, Uerkwitz remains optimistic about the device's value creation over the long run.

Persons: Andrew Uerkwitz, David Vogt, Uerkwitz, it's, Jefferies, Tom Forte, DA Davidson, Forte, Davidson, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, Jefferies, Apple's, Mac, UBS, Apple Watch, Unity, Pro, DA, VR, Meta Locations: Switzerland

☆ Tim Cook bets his legacy on augmented reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

David Paul Morris/Getty Images Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in 2011. Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty Images Tim Cook puts on a Boston Red Sox jersey before a baseball game between the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers in June 2017. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tim Cook signs the box of a new iPhone X at an Apple Store in Palo Alto in November 2017. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images Cook speaks via video conference at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on online platforms and market power in July 2020. In pictures: Apple CEO Tim Cook Prev NextFollowers of the company are divided on what the headset could ultimately mean for Cook.

Persons: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, Cook, It’s, … it’s, ”, Margaret O’Mara, Andrew Burton, Phil Schiller, Jobs, David Paul Morris, Apple, Tom Williams, Marcio Jose Sanchez, Bono, Justin Sullivan, Tony Avelar, Stephen Lam, George Washington University's, Alex Brandon, Stephen Colbert, Jeffrey R, Pope Francis, Shutterstock Cook, Maddie Ziegler, AirPods, Monica Davey, James Corden, Pharrell, Beck Diefenbach, Reuters Cook, Yui Mok, Billie Weiss, Donald Trump, Jonathan, Oprah Winfrey, Win McNamee, Theresa Goh, Edgar Su, Andrew Harrer, Graeme Jennings, Noah Berger, Sajid Moinuddin, India's, Francis Mascarenhas, Brooks Kraft, it’s, Mike Bailey, “, Tim Bajarin, ’, ” Bajarin, Bajarin, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, University of Washington, Washington Post, Getty, Reuters, Alamy, Homeland Security, Governmental, Flint Center, Performing Arts, Cook, CBS, Serviziofotograficoor, Primary School, Boston Red Sox, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, American Technology, White House, Steve Jobs Theatre, Carnegie Library, Central Public Library, Bloomberg, Singapore, Apple Worldwide, Conference, Epic Games, Apple Inc, FBB Capital Partners, Jobs Locations: New York, Cupertino , California, Cupertino, Palo Alto , California, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Down, London, Washington , DC, Oakland , California, Mumbai

☆ 4 terms Apple used when launching the Vision Pro, and 3 it completely left out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Instead, Apple used words like "machine learning" and "spatial computing" to describe Vision Pro. Here are four terms Apple used while launching Vision Pro, and three it actively didn't. Apple blew reviewers and analysts away last Monday when it dropped the Vision Pro. The Apple Vision Pro, which is expected to be released in 2024, comes with a $3,499 price tag — much higher than competing devices like Meta's $499 Quest 3. Here are some of the key terms Apple did use in the presentation to launch Vision Pro, and some it seemingly steered clear of:

Persons: Apple, Axios, Ina Fried Organizations: Vision, Apple, Morning, Apple Vision

☆ Apple’s new challenge: making VR headsets look cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But behind this speculation is a more serious potential problem: even Apple may struggle to make VR headsets look cool. The new headset, which blends both virtual reality and augmented reality, is Apple’s most ambitious – and riskiest – new hardware product in years. In one early marketing image, a woman is shown wearing the headset while dressed in very chic clothing and lounging in an upscale living room. Apple’s silhouette ads in the early 2000s somehow managed to make not just iPods look cool, but also wired headphones. People use phones as Apple's Vision Pro headsets are on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023.

Persons: Tim Cook, Palmer Luckey, Oculus, memed, It’s, Robert Scoble, Larry Page, “ Robert, “ They’re, ” Lisa Peyton, “, Loren Elliott Loren Elliott, Reuters “, ” Marcus Collins, Collins, “ you’re, Alan Dye, it’s, ”, ” Peyton, “ It’s, they’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Facebook, Google, University of Oregon, CNN, Developers, REUTERS, Reuters, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Locations: New York, —, Cupertino , California, U.S

☆ Apple's Vision Pro isn't just a 'headset,' stupid — it represents the next big frontier of spatial computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Csathy | Fearless Media | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

He writes that Apple's latest $3,500 gadget is not just a VR "headset," but a bigger tech opportunity: spatial computing. Apple at long last revealed its long-anticipated "next big thing" — its Vision Pro — two days ago at its annual WWDC. "Minority Report" come to lifeViewed with the broader lens it deserves, however, Apple's Vision Pro represents so much more. It represents the dawn of an entirely new mass market and transformational tech opportunity of so-called "spatial computing." Spatial computing is essentially the film "Minority Report" come to life, three-dimensional computing divorced from the confines of physical screens.

Persons: Peter Csathy, Nanea Reeves, Tim Cook, Ralph Lauren, Joanna Popper, Bob Cooney, Evan Helda, Pierre, Stuart Rostain, Amy Allison, Tripp, Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's, Steve Jobs, Cook, Bob Iger, Jobs, Iger, Read Organizations: Creative Media, Morning, Fearless Media, Apple, CAA, Barnum, Amazon, Spatial Computing, European VRDays Foundation, Women, Disney, Pixar, Creativie Media Locations: Malibu, Netherlands

☆ Apple Vision Pro: Impressive specs, new way of interacting could help it break the VR curse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The Apple Vision Pro is significantly more powerful than nearly all competing products on the market. Huge specsThe new Apple Vision Pro headset is displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 05, 2023 in Cupertino, California. A new interfaceApple Vision Pro Source: AppleJust as the iPhone did, the Apple Vision Pro introduces a new kind of user interface. Apple Vision Pro Source: AppleEye tracking often uses small sensors to see where the user's gaze is resting. The Apple ecosystemApple CEO Tim Cook stands next to the new Apple Vision Pro headset.

Persons: what's, Inbar, Tipatat Chennavasin, Apple, Justin Sullivan, Avi Greengart, Chennavasin, Jamin Hu, Steve Kovach, Hu, Mac, Tim Cook, Sean Mann, Greengart, Mann Organizations: Apple, Engineers, University of Utah, Nintendo, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Sony, Nvidia, Fund, Superventures, Venture, Apple Vision, Apple Worldwide, Apple Vision Pro, Vision, Getty Locations: Cupertino , California, Apple's, iPhones

☆ Apple shareholders should rejoice about Vision Pro's $3,500 price tag — and it's a better approach than Facebook's
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Henry Blodget | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Facebook's going for ubiquity — the platform approach — but it's not working well. For anyone who has watched Apple's pricing strategy over the years, this approach shouldn't have been a surprise. Apple's pricing choice also illustrates a distinctly different pricing strategy than the one taken by Apple's big AR/VR rival, Facebook. But Apple's approach does come with a distinct advantage over Facebook's. If Vision Pro is a dud — or takes forever to gain traction — like Quest, Apple at least won't likely burn tens of billions on its investments in it.

Persons: it's, Apple, Facebook's, Steve Jobs, gizmo Organizations: Apple, Facebook, Quest VR, Quest, Microsoft

☆ Apple didn't mention the metaverse once
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple's mixed-reality headset is finally here, but it isn't talking about the metaverse. Apple may see the term metaverse, pushed by Mark Zuckerberg, as confusing and alienating. Apple mixed-reality headset, called Vision Pro, is finally here but for anyone watching the grand unveiling in Cupertino something was conspicuously missing: The metaverse didn't get a single mention. At no point did the Apple CEO use the term metaverse. "In the same way Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing," he said.

Persons: Apple's, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Mac, Zuckerberg's, Neal Stephenson, Satya Nadella, Gene Munster, That's chunky — Organizations: Morning, Vision, Apple Vision, Apple, Facebook, Meta, Labs, Zuckerberg, Microsoft, Google, Apple Watch, Deepwater Asset Management Locations: Cupertino

☆ A First Try of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro Headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Brian X. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Monday, I got a sneak peek into Apple’s vision for the future of computing. For about half an hour, I wore the $3,500 Vision Pro, the company’s first high-tech goggles, which will be released next year. Imagine wearing a headset to assemble furniture while the instructions are digitally projected onto the parts, for instance, or cooking a meal while a recipe is displayed in the corner of your eye. But after wearing the new headset to view photos and interact with a virtual dinosaur, I also felt there wasn’t much new to see here. And the experience elicited an “ick” factor I’ve never had before with an Apple product.

Persons: I’ve Organizations: Meta, Sony, Apple

☆ Apple's next challenge: It needs apps for its Vision Pro headset, but it's not on sale yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks with members of the media next to Apple's new Vision Pro virtual reality headset, during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, June 5, 2023. On Monday, Apple revealed its $3,500 Vision Pro "spatial computing" headset to the public ahead of a planned launch early next year. Now Apple needs to convince developers to make apps for it, even though the hardware isn't widely available yet. App support for the Vision Pro will be critical for its success. All this effort is to ensure the app store for the Vision Pro is stocked when it eventually goes on sale.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple, Morgan Stanley, Erik Woodring Organizations: Apple, Apple's Worldwide, Vision, Union Locations: Cupertino , California, California, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo

The initial reviews were mixed and skeptics questioned whether even Apple could make virtual reality anything more than a niche technology. But boosters say that if any company can make it mainstream, it’s Apple with its ecosystem of two billion iPhone, iPad and Mac users. “We believe Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary product,” Tim Cook told developers and journalists on Monday. It certainly looks like an Apple product: Unlike other virtual reality headsets, an external display shows your eyes to others, and the device is controlled using hand gestures, eye movements and your voice. “The most perfect headset demo reel of all time is still just a headset demo reel,” wrote Nilay Patel of The Verge.

Persons: Tim Cook, ”, Joanna Stern, I’ve, Marques Brownlee, “, Nilay Patel, lockdowns Organizations: Apple, Apple Vision, The, Street, Investors

☆ iPod godfather says Apple 'jumped the shark' with its Vision Pro headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tony Fadell, a former Apple executive known as the iPod godfather, just dunked on the company's new $3,499 Vision Pro headset. But he slammed the price, battery life, and other aspects. "It's has truly nothing to do with 2hr battery life," Fadell responded. "The apps & marketing pitch is awful even if it had 24 HR battery life…. "There's no dancing in the virtual world when people don't even have bodies.

Persons: Tony Fadell, Fadell, Jeff Lutz, Apple, It's, I'm Organizations: Wired, Apple, Tech

☆ Apple's entry into VR with its new headset is a 'watershed moment,' say top industry execs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple's mixed-reality headset debut marks a "watershed moment" for the industry, said the executives of some major players in the augmented and virtual reality space as they welcomed competition for the U.S. tech giant. Cher Wang, Taiwanese tech giant HTC's CEO, told CNBC that she sees Apple's move as a validation for the industry. HTC has long been a mainstay of the virtual and augmented industry, pivoting from its ailing smartphone business several years ago to focus on its Vive headsets division. Apple says the Vision Pro will allow users to see apps in a new way in the spaces around them. With the headset, users can watch movies, including in 3D with spatial audio, view their own pictures or videos, and play video games.

Persons: Cher Wang, Apple's, Apple Organizations: Apple, U.S, CNBC, HTC, VR, Microsoft, Vision, iOS Locations: Cupertino

☆ Why Steve Jobs would love Apple's Vision Pro headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Cadie Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Isaacson, who had special access to Jobs, thinks Jobs would have loved Apple's Vision Pro headset. Isaacson said Apple's mixed-reality headset is a "big leap" for human-computer interfaces. The late Apple CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs would love Apple's new Vision Pro headset if he were alive, Walter Isaacson, who wrote Jobs' biography, said Tuesday during an interview on CNBC. Apple unveiled its new mixed-reality headset on Monday at the company's World Wide Developer's Conference. Apple Vision Pro is a "big leap" for human-computer interfaces, Isaacson said.

Persons: Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, Isaacson, Jobs, Apple's, Apple Isaacson, Siri, … Organizations: Apple, CNBC, Aspen Institute, Tulane University . Apple, Apple Watch

☆ Apple's Vision Pro an impressive headset with few likely buyers, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Analysts lauded Apple's (AAPL.O) Vision Pro on Tuesday for its impressive technology, but warned that it will be a few years before the $3,499 augmented reality headset sees widespread adoption. That vision, analysts said, could take some time to materialize because the high price tag will likely dissuade most buyers and the product does not have any clear use beyond entertainment in a still nascent augmented reality (AR) market. "Apple proved they have a vision for the role AR technology could play for consumers ... and Vision Pro looked sleek/differentiated versus incumbents and performed with clear potential," Morgan Stanley analysts said. "However, the Vision Pro is not ready for mass consumption," they added, pointing to a bulky external battery pack and the lack of a "killer app", among other issues. The uncertainty regarding Vision Pro sales also drove a wide range of predictions on its expected shipments once the device goes on sale next year.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple, Morgan Stanley, Harmeet Singh Walia, Walia, Christine Wang, James Cordwell, Aditya Soni, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Apple Watch, Vision, Meta, Apple, Facebook, Counterpoint Research, Vision Pro, KGI Securities, Credit Suisse, Thomson

☆ Thank you, Apple! Ignore the haters. Innovation is brave, inspiring, necessary, and cool.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Henry Blodget | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

You may think Apple's new headset is ridiculous, but you should cheer the company anyway. Innovation is expensive, difficult, and risky — and the only way to create a better future. And I don't think creating "eyes" on the outside of my goggles to make me look friendlier is going to change that. I do think there are certain communities and applications that might see fast adoption of Apple's goggles — gaming, for example. So I'm not ready to write off Apple's goggles yet.

Persons: Steve Jobs, Apple, I'm, It's Organizations: Vision

Club holding Apple (AAPL) on Monday unveiled its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, known as Apple Vision Pro, expanding the technology giant's unrivaled hardware-and-software ecosystem into a new realm of computing. Of course, some investors may not be wowed by the Vision Pro. Vision Pro — Apple's first new major piece of hardware since the Apple Watch in 2014 — joins a fledgling field of mixed- and virtual-reality headsets. Bottom line More important than anything announced Monday, we're finally getting a glimpse of Apple's vision for this next-generation computing platform. It's too early to tell where Apple's headset business will be in five or 10 years.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Steve Jobs, it's, Tim Cook, Cook, Apple, —, Bob Iger, we're, It's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Brittany Hosea, BRITTANY HOSEA Organizations: Apple, Apple Vision, Developers Conference, Vision, Pro, Apple Watch, Meta, PlayStation, Club, Disney, Vision Pro, CNBC, Getty, Afp Locations: Cupertino , California, AFP

☆ Apple Debuts Its Next Big Product, a Virtual Reality Headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Apple lived up to months of expectations on Monday when it introduced new high-tech goggles that blend the real world with virtual reality. The $3,500 device, called the Vision Pro, will offer “augmented reality” and introduce “spatial computing,” Apple said. But conspicuously absent from its carefully choreographed announcement were the actual words “virtual reality,” underscoring the challenges the tech giant will likely face in marketing the device to a mass consumer audience. Past virtual reality offerings, including Google Glass, Magic Leap, Microsoft’s HoloLens and Meta’s Quest Pro, have been either commercial failures or only modest successes. And companies have so far failed to demonstrate what is indispensable about virtual reality.

Persons: Apple, ”, —, Microsoft’s Organizations: Google, Meta’s

Search resuls for: "Spatial Computing"

24 mentions found