Oh Great, the TikTok People Want to Strap AR Goggles on Your Face
According to The Information, the AR goggles, codenamed Phoenix, will have digital passthrough, which is to say, they'll have XR similar to what you might see on a Quest 3, and they'll weigh just 100 grams. That is notably much lighter than the Vision Pro and Meta's Quest 3, which weigh 650 grams and 515 grams, respectively. That smaller form factor will definitely come with some limitations, though. Reducing the weight is all well and good, but it's still hard to miniaturize some of the high-end tech found in headsets like Vision Pro—I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't expect any high-res micro-OLED display here.
That being said, the report says that Phoenix will still borrow some of the capabilities from more premium headsets like the Vision Pro, including a UI that's centered around hand and eye-tracking instead of controllers, just like Apple's visionOS that powers the Vision Pro. While The Information doesn't say anything about price, I'm going to assume that Phoenix, if it ever sees the light of day, will be much cheaper than the Vision Pro, though that's not saying much since Apple's only headset—sorry, 'spatial computer'—is still a conversation-ending $3,500. And that last part, if it does pan out to be true, will be very important.
If the report is correct, what we're looking at here is a lightweight AR headset that, yes, may be a little bit dumber than the rest of the pack, but is also a lot more accessible both weight-wise and monetarily. That's basically Meta's playbook with the Quest 3S, which costs just $299 and still does pretty much all of the things you'd want an XR headset to do, just not at a fancy-schmancy Vision Pro level. That lower capability but accessible price and weight strategy has been a fruitful one for Meta. In the first three quarters after its release, Meta sold 3 million Quest 3s while Apple sold just an estimated 370,000 Vision Pros.
And that's not the only Meta product to succeed with that strategy. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, for example, are shells of what competitors like Xreal are putting out—they don't even have displays in them—but they've resonated with people who want something affordable, lightweight, and with just enough features to make the price feel worthwhile. Oh, they also don't make you look like a total dork when you wear them. XR is still a nascent field at the end of the day, so it's too early to prognosticate on whether ByteDance's Phoenix glasses will be any good or anywhere close to successful. As a reality check, ByteDance notably owns the company Pico, which makes VR hardware that has yet to really challenge Meta's Quest dominance. That being said, this is a new product, and ByteDance may nail the strategy with Phoenix. Plus, with TikTok-level resources, it's hard to count anyone out.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
'I can't believe it': Grandson surprises grandmother with AI video of her late husband
An Argentinian grandmother was moved to tears this month when her grandson surprised her with an AI-generated video of her husband who died over 30 years ago. The woman, Sati, grinned as a once-still image of her husband, Jose, moved about, smiling back at her. Her grandson, Martin Garchtrom, made the video and shared it with his followers on TikTok in early July. 'Is that Pepe?' Sati, 100, asked in the video, referring to him using a Spanish nickname, Storyful shared. At one point, Sati cradled her face in her hands, overjoyed at what her grandson had created, before leaning back in for another look at her husband. Watch the heartwarming moment Grandmother is still 'in love like the first day' despite husband passing away over three decades ago Sati's husband Jose passed away more than 30 years ago, according to Storyful. She talks to her grandson often, and one common topic of discussion is the man she married all those years ago, Garchtrom said. 'My grandmother Sati always talks about my grandfather Jose,' Garchtrom said. 'She is in love like the first day.' Her grandson is a UX designer and musician, and he loves showing his grandmother new technology, like artificial intelligence (AI), he told Storyful. Pairing technology with her love for her late husband was a given. He remembered a photo of Jose that sits on a small table in her living room. He then explained to her how they could take the image and make something new. 'First, I told her, 'I'm going to take a picture of him with my cell phone,'' he explained to his grandmother. 'Then I said, 'I'm going to transfer this photo to the computer and we're going to make it come to life.'' As he played the video for her on July 7, he asked her if she understood what was happening. 'Oh my God,' she said in the video. 'I love you, Jose. We loved each other. I can't believe it.' Bringing deceased loved ones back to life using AI TikTok users aren't the only ones using AI to revisit coveted moments with loved ones. Alexis Ohanian, entrepreneur and co-founder of Reddit, shared a video of himself as a child with his late mother on X in June. In the AI-generated video, he and his mother hug and she looks at him before embracing again and rocking side-to-side. 'I wasn't ready for how this would feel,' he wrote. 'We didn't have a camcorder, so there's no video of me with my mom. I dropped one of my favorite photos of us in midjourney as 'starting frame for an AI video' and wow... This is how she hugged me. I've rewatched it 50 times.' Ohanian's post spurred discussion, with some X users warning him against using AI to recreate moments like this, arguing that AI gives users false memories. Ohanian replied to X users adding that his mom died almost 20 years ago, so he has 'grieved sufficiently.' He added that his family couldn't afford a camcorder back then. In his eyes, using AI to make an animated video is similar to using AI to stabilize or fill in the gaps of old or poorly-recorded videos. 'It's not a replacement for a loved one nor should it be,' he wrote. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Fox News
28 minutes ago
- Fox News
Pentagon to probe Microsoft's use of Chinese engineers on sensitive defense systems, Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was "looking into" a cloud computing program run by Microsoft utilizing foreign workers from China, which was criticized this week for potentially lacking adequate safeguards, which could provide the CCP easy access to classified defense data and systems. A ProPublica report released Tuesday accused Microsoft of allowing China-based engineers to assist with Pentagon cloud systems with inadequate guardrails in an effort to scale up its government contracting business. In response, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter to Hegseth Thursday asking for information and documents about the program, including a list of all Department of Defense (DOD) contractors that hire Chinese personnel to provide maintenance or other services to DOD systems, a list of subcontractors that hire Microsoft's American-born "digital escorts" required to supervise foreign computer scientists while they work on DOD systems and documents on the training these supervisors receive to identify suspicious activity. "In light of recent and concerning reports about Microsoft using engineers in China to maintain DOD systems, I've asked the Secretary of Defense to look into the matter," Cotton said in a post on X sharing his letter to Hegseth. "We must guard against all threats within our military's supply chain." A few hours after Cotton's X post, Hegseth responded, "Spot on senator." "Agree fully," Hegseth said in his own X post responding to Cotton. "Our team is already looking into this ASAP. Foreign engineers — from any country, including of course China — should NEVER be allowed to maintain or access DOD systems." The ProPublica report cited current and former employees and government contractors who worked on a cloud computing program deployed by Microsoft in 2016, which involved a "digital escort" framework. The program, meant to meet federal contracting regulations, used a system of "digital escort" chaperones for global cybersecurity officials, such as those based in China, meant to create a security buffer so that they can work on agency computing systems. DOD guidelines require that people handling sensitive data be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. According to sources who spoke to ProPublica, including some who had intimate familiarity with the hiring process for the $18-per-hour "digital escort" position, the tech employees being hired to do the supervising lacked the adequate tech expertise to prevent a rogue Chinese employee from hacking the system or turning over classified information to the CCP. The sources elaborated that the escorts, often former military personnel, were hired for their security clearances more than their technical abilities and often lacked the skills to evaluate code being used by the engineers they were supervising. In China, people are governed by sweeping laws compelling government cooperation with data collection efforts. "If ProPublica's report turns out to be true, Microsoft has created a national embarrassment that endangers our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Heads should roll, those responsible should go to prison and Congress should hold extensive investigations to uncover the full extent of potential compromise," said Michael Lucci. Lucci is the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats. "Microsoft or any vendor providing China with access to Pentagon secrets verges on treasonous behavior and should be treated as such," Lucci added. A Microsoft spokesperson defended the company's "digital escort" model Tuesday, saying all personnel and contractors with privileged access must pass federally approved background checks. "For some technical requests, Microsoft engages our team of global subject-matter experts to provide support through authorized U.S. personnel, consistent with U.S. government requirements and processes," the spokesperson added. "In these instances, global support personnel have no direct access to customer data or customer systems." The Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) public information office was initially unaware of the program when ProPublica began asking questions about it, but it eventually followed up to point out that "digital escorts" are used "in select unclassified environments" at the Defense Department for "advanced problem diagnosis and resolution from industry subject-matter experts." In Cotton's letter to Hegseth, the Republican senator requested answers to his questions by the end of the month. Microsoft did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on this article.
Engadget
an hour ago
- Engadget
Meta says it won't sign the EU's AI code of practice
Meta said on Friday that it won't sign the European Union's new AI code of practice. The guidelines provide a framework for the EU's AI Act, which regulates companies operating in the European Union. The EU's code of practice is voluntary, so Meta was under no legal obligation to sign it. Yet Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, made a point to publicly knock the guidelines on Friday. He described the code as "over-reach." "Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI," Kaplan posted in a statement. "We have carefully reviewed the European Commission's Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and Meta won't be signing it. This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act." So, why kick up a (public) fuss about not signing something Meta was under no obligation to sign? Well, this isn't the first time the company has waged a PR battle against Europe's AI regulations. It previously called the AI Act "unpredictable," claiming "it goes too far" and is "hampering innovation and holding back developers." In February, Meta's public policy director said, "The net result of all of that is that products get delayed or get watered down and European citizens and consumers suffer." Outmuscling the EU may seem like a more attainable goal to Meta, given that it has an anti-regulation ally in the White House. In April, President Trump pressured the EU to abandon the AI Act. He described the rules as "a form of taxation." Mark Zuckerberg at Trump's inauguration in January (Pool via Getty Images) The EU published its code of practice on July 10. It includes tangible guidelines to help companies follow the AI Act. Among other things, the code bans companies from training AI on pirated materials and requires them to respect requests from writers and artists to omit their work from training data. It also requires developers to provide regularly updated documentation describing their AI features. Although signing the code of practice is voluntary, doing so has its perks. Agreeing to it can give companies more legal protection against future accusations of breaching the AI Act. Thomas Regnier, the European Commission's spokesperson for digital matters, added more color in a statement to Bloomberg . He said that AI providers who don't sign it "will have to demonstrate other means of compliance." As a consequence, they "may be exposed to more regulatory scrutiny." Companies that violate the AI Act can face hefty penalties. The European Commission can impose fines of up to seven percent of a company's annual sales. The penalties are a lower three percent for those developing advanced AI models. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
