Apple's Next Vision Pro May Come Sooner Than You Think, but With One Big Letdown
Bloomberg says this next iteration of the Vision Pro will have a new processor that's faster and better equipped to run AI, and a new strap for added comfort. Specifically, the next Vision Pro will reportedly use the M4 chip—the same one in the latest MacBook Airs and Mac mini—as opposed to the M2 in the current generation, and the new strap will be designed specifically to reduce neck strain, which is a welcome goal since anyone who's used the Vision Pro for an extended period has likely noticed that it's heavy.What I'm not seeing on this list of objectives is anything that would connote the next Vision Pro being more affordable. That's because it probably won't be. Supply chain sleuth Ming Chi-Kuo has previously reported that a more affordable headset may not arrive until 2027, which is quite a wait considering the already tepid demand for the current generation. An equally expensive headset will also likely do little to convince more people to buy a Vision Pro. While the Vision Pro has far and away the best hardware and UI of any commercial headset on the market, $3,500 is too big an ask for a gadget that most people just don't need.
At the end of the day, headsets are still considered to be more toys than actual get-shit-done kinds of devices, which makes them a difficult proposition in general, but especially on the premium end. Just ask Meta and its flop of a headset, the Quest Pro. At $1,500 the Quest Pro was geared more toward work and 'professional' uses, which, as you may already know, did not translate to lots of people for several reasons. The vast majority of people out there have had little to no experience with VR or XR headsets, which makes the idea of going from zero to 'pro' pretty daunting. The Vision Pro still hits a lot of the same notes—it's expensive and was marketed somewhat towards productivity.
If nothing else, a new Vision Pro headset—even one that's still too expensive—will signal to the rest of the field that Apple hasn't given up on XR. Is that an expensive and time-consuming way of doing that? Yes, it is. But this is one of the most resourced hardware companies in the world, and I guess if you have the pockets to do it, and you're really committed to XR hardware, it's worth another spin at the XR/AR wheel.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sony explores sale of cellular chipsets business, sources say
By Milana Vinn NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sony Group is exploring a sale of its unit that provides cellular chipsets for connected devices, as the group shifts its focus to the entertainment segment, according to three people familiar with the matter. The Japanese technology and entertainment conglomerate is working with investment bankers on the sale of Sony Semiconductor Israel, which is currently in the early stages, the sources said. It generates about $80 million in annual recurring revenue and is expected to be valued at close to $300 million in any deal, the sources said. The business is expected to attract interest from financial sponsors and semiconductor industry players, added the sources. Sony declined to comment. The sources requested anonymity as the matter is not public. Formerly called Altair Semiconductor, Sony Semiconductor Israel provides cellular chipsets for connected devices such as wearables, smart meters, and home appliances. Sony acquired the business in 2016 for $212 million. Sony has been increasing its focus on games, movies, and music, with more than 60% of its profit coming from entertainment last year. As part of its portfolio reshaping, Sony is preparing for a partial spinoff and direct listing of its financial services arm later this year. A leading maker of image sensors, Sony said in April it is considering options for its chips division, including bringing in investment partners or adopting a fab-light strategy. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why institutions are wary of Ethereum treasury plays — for now
Firms are raising capital, buying Ether, and betting their share prices will rise. But as the momentum builds, one question looms: is there a lasting investor appetite for Ethereum treasuries? Not among institutions, reckons Matthew Sigel, head of digital assets at VanEck. 'Not yet, but maybe that's where the opportunity is,' he said on a recent episode of The Mining Pod. What began with Michael Saylor's Bitcoin-hodling firm, Strategy, has now spread to Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. $1.3 billion The most aggressive entrant so far is SharpLink Gaming, an online casino platform that is betting its balance sheet on Ether. Over the last few weeks, the company has amassed more than $1.3 billion worth of Ether as it buys 'tens of millions of dollars' daily, according to Joe Lubin, the CEO of Consensys and Ethereum co-founder,who recently became the firm's chairman. SharpLink and BitMine Immersion Technologies — a little known Bitcoin miner turned Ethereum treasury — are trading at nearly double the value of their Ether holdings. They're not alone. More than 60 companies now hold Ethereum as a reserve asset, collectively owning over 1.8 million Ether or about $6.2 billion. And while that's still less than what the 157 Bitcoin treasury companies hold, it's growing fast. Big gains For Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan, this Ether accumulation is creating a structural imbalance in the market that will spur big gains. 'Since mid-May, exchange-traded products and public companies have bought 2.83 million Ether — 32 times more than what's been newly issued,' Hougan said in a July 22 note to investors. 'No wonder the price of [Ethereum] has soared.' Ethereum has rallied 60%, to about $3,600, in the past 30 days. Ethereum treasury companies have two things going for them, according to market watchers. For one, the space has fewer players than the Bitcoin treasury sector. 'It's less crowded,' said Sigel, which might lure more companies into deploying capital to an Ethereum treasury company. Then there's Ethereum's utility. 'Ethereum is a useful asset,' head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise Jeff Park said in a July 8 interview on the Wolf of All Streets podcast. 'Bitcoin stores value. But Ethereum is productive — it earns yield.' Cash flow is something traditional investors know, and look for. The market decides Still, analysts are not just cautious, but actively sounding the alarm. Even though Ethereum treasuries are a newer phenomenon, they carry echoes of the same concerns that have dogged the Bitcoin playbook: aggressive 'promote' structures that reward insiders, speculative valuations, and frothy markets driven more by narrative than fundamentals. That hasn't slowed the hype. And as Ether prices continue to soar, the market may soon have to decide: are Ethereum treasury companies a new form of financial innovation — or just the latest speculative trade wrapped in a corporate wrapper? Pedro Solimano is DL News' Buenos Aires-based markets correspondent. Got at a tip? Email him at psolimano@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Engadget
6 minutes ago
- Engadget
Trump's AI Action Plan targets state regulation and 'ideological bias'
At the start of the year, President Trump announced his AI Action Plan, an initiative he said would eventually enact policy that would "enhance America's position as an AI powerhouse." Now, after months of consultation with industry players like Google and OpenAI, the administration has finally shared the specific actions it plans to take. Notably, the framework seeks to limit state regulation of AI companies by instructing the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and other federal agencies to consider a state's existing AI laws before awarding AI-related funding. "The Federal government should not allow AI-related Federal funding to be directed to those states with burdensome AI regulations that waste these funds," the document states. As you may recall, Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" was supposed to include a 10-year qualified moratorium on state AI regulation before that amendment was ultimately removed in a 99-1 vote by the US Senate. Elsewhere, the AI Action Plan targets AI systems the White House says promote "social engineering agendas." To that end, Trump plans to direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology, through the Department of Commerce, to revise its AI Risk Management Framework to remove any mentions of "misinformation, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and climate change." Furthermore, he's calling for an update to the federal government's procurement guidelines to ensure the government only contracts model providers that can definitively say their AI systems are "free from top-down ideological bias." Just how companies like OpenAI, Google and others are expected to do this is unclear from the document. Separately, Trump says he plans to remove regulatory hurdles that slow the construction of AI data centers. "America's environmental permitting system and other regulations make it almost impossible to build this infrastructure in the United States with the speed that is required," the document states. Specifically, the president plans to make federal lands available for the construction of data centers and power generation facilities. Under the Action Plan, the federal government will also expand efforts to use AI to carry out environmental reviews. The president plans to sign a handful of executive orders today to start the wheels turning on his action plan. Trump began his second term by rescinding President Biden's October 2023 AI guidelines. Biden's executive order outlined a plan to establish protections for the general public with regard to artificial intelligence. Specifically, the EO sought new standards for safety and security in addition to protocols for AI watermarking and both civil rights and consumer protections.
