Goodbye iPod, hello Eyes Pod. According to a report by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple has demonstration of the new VR headset made by Apple to its board of directors. Such a product has been rumored for a while and is said to have been in development by Apple since 2015. We still don’t know what it looks like or much about its features. It could be weeks, months, or even years before Apple’s headphones arrive, but the takeaway is that the device really does appear to exist.
Embedding virtual reality hardware has been controversial within the company, with opposition and disagreement between Apple coin, including former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive. The upcoming headsets use both virtual and augmented reality technologies, and while Apple is also expected to announce a pair of AR-only glasses someday, they’re not too far off.
When the headset launches, it has the potential to shake up the wearable VR ecosystem. Today, that space is largely dominated by Meta’s Oculus glasses. Meta yes make a fuss with it reverse marketing, advertising us for a brilliant cyberpunk future. However, Meta still devotes himself to his AR and VR ambitions, and bleeds 10 billion dollars about its metaverse efforts.
But when Apple releases a Thing, it’s usually a big deal. And this will be the first truly new Apple iThing since the Apple Watch. It certainly looks like it’s setting up a showdown between the major consumer tech companies, with Apple and Meta going head-to-head to draw people into their VR vision. Maybe they can fight it in Beatsaber.
Here’s what else happened this week:
Qualcomm gets some new guts
On Friday, the US tech giant announced several new chipsets that will soon be making their way to Android phones near you. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a modest boost to the Snapdragon 8 you’ll find in many high-end Android handsets these days. Qualcomm says the “plus” version is 10% faster than the old chip and 30% more power efficient. The other new chip from Qualcomm is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a replacement for the Snapdragon 700 chip found in mid-range phones. This time, the chips will Not made by SamsungFormer Snapdragon partner of Qualcomm.
Lego Your Notebook
Framework, a laptop company that “respects your right to repair”, has launched the second round of Super repair laptop. The computers were designed with tinkering in mind; they are easy to customize, disassemble, and insert new components. The first batch of laptops shipped in July, although it looks like they’re all sold out by now. Framework says their next shipment will ship this August. David Pierce at the Verge has a good story on how the Framework’s hardware fits into the modular utility movement.
Speaking of repairability…
RTR Bill failed
California repair rights bill died in a state senate committee on Thursday. If it passes, the law would become one of the first in the US to force device manufacturers to make their products easier to repair for the people who buy them. The law would require companies to provide repair manuals, parts and tools for use on their equipment.
Advocacy group CALPIRG issued a declare blamed the bill’s failure on pressure from technology manufacturers. “SB 983 could have saved California households $4.3 billion a year in reducing electronics spending and helping Californians reduce spending,” said CALPIRG advocate Sander Kushen. reduce hazardous e-waste. “Instead, heavy lobbying by industry groups helped kill off the bill.”
Better yet, Google
Research company Canalys published a report This week shows that Google is now the fifth largest smartphone manufacturer in the US, behind Apple, Samsung, Lenovo and TCL. Google has now captured 3% of the country’s smartphone market. That may not sound like a big deal, but like Android Police Notesit’s almost four times the market share that Pixels had a year ago.
Ride a horse
Maybe National Bicycle Month, so what better time to talk about cycling and bicycles? This week on Utility Lab audio fileWIRED review editor and bike expert Adrienne So join the show to show you how to spin the wheel.
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