In the Apple vs Meta battle, the Vision Pro still has a long way to go
Apple might have made quite a statement with its entry into the VR market, though taking the lead will take more time
Apple and Meta have never been closer as companies. Now that Apple has the Vision Pro, it can compete in the same industry as Meta with its Quest headsets. Previously, we discussed how Apple's Vision Pro headset could disrupt the VR industry and could capitalize on Meta's privacy woes. Apple's reputation in this space is objectively superior to Meta's. So, it already has a strong win in their inevitable battle.
Apple going up against the UK government could be enough to thwart data encryption threats
In response to the U.K. government's proposed IPA changes, Apple is threatening to pull out from the market, along with WhatsApp and Signal.
For years, Apple has prided itself on its privacy and security guidelines. That Apple is the benchmark in this area is not an understatement. No matter which product release or update is announced, Apple will invariably touch on security and privacy on stage, with the Vision Pro being the latest example. For those who value these aspects, Apple is the go-to brand. Sadly, though, apart from the end users, not everyone holds user privacy that high of a regard. According to recent reports, that seems to be the case with the U.K. government.
With Samsung settling, OnePlus has the opportunity to blow the competition wide open
With Samsung’s Z Fold 5 being more of an incremental upgrade than anything else, OnePlus can capitalize on that with its OnePlus Open.
OnePlus has always had a knack for causing a bit of a stir in the market. From their slogans and aggressive marketing campaigns to their actual product release and everything in between, OnePlus has never shied away from giving its competitors a poke every now and then. While they might have been relatively quiet on this front ever since Carl Pei left his post, OnePlus has apparently decided to borrow his playbook for the upcoming OnePlus foldable.
How can Apple's Vision Pro succeed? By capitalizing on Meta's shortcomings
Despite making such a late entry into the VR market, Apple is poised to take the lead.
After years of endless speculation, Apple finally announced the Vision Pro, its much-anticipated mixed-reality headset, during WWDC23. In typical fashion, Apple took its sweet time before finally pulling the trigger, with Meta taking the liberty of experimenting with its VR headset and the so-called metaverse in the meantime. Yet despite Meta having such an enormous head start, Apple’s headset doesn't look like it's lagging behind the Meta Quest Pro by that much. In fact, Apple could arguably displace Meta as the lead in the VR space quite easily, and a big reason why is the sheer difference in their user privacy track records.
What Arm's restructured royalty fees could mean for consumers
Arm is reportedly set on restructuring its business model to increase its royalty fees, potentially causing a significant price hike for all phones.
From wireless earbuds to VR headsets and everything in between, tech devices have experienced a noticeable increase in prices since the start of the pandemic. It started with the global chip shortage and then snowballed into increased manufacturing costs at multiple levels. Of course, smartphones are no exception to the rule, especially given the complex process of manufacturing its components, such as the chip inside. Any increase in the cost of production will invariably be passed down to the consumers, and if a recent report is to be believed, it looks like we are about to witness something that may affect smartphone pricing, courtesy of Arm.
What enhanced AI can mean for the next Tensor chip
AI is all the rage now, but what implications can that have on Google's AI-focused Tensor chipset?
Lately, AI has been at the heart of many features integral to the user experience, with many companies seeking to leverage the power of AI in any new feature under development. From better speech recognition to fixing blurred photos and anything in between, many of the features we take for granted nowadays were built around AI. However, none of these companies arguably tends to lean on the prowess of AI more than Google. While many will point toward Google’s in-house Tensor SoCs as the first indicator of Google’s increasing dependence on AI, in reality, it goes way back before the inception of the Tensor SoCs. And with Google announcing its intentions to lean heavily on AI at this year's Google I/O, that integration will only become more important.
How to disable Google Assistant on your Android phone
Google Assistant is on by default on many phones, but you can turn it off if you'd rather go with another assistant or just find it annoying.
Google Assistant can be regarded as the cornerstone of most modern Android smartphones. From task automation and controlling your smart home devices to cracking the odd joke while engaging in a conversation, Google Assistant boasts an extensive skill set and is far more capable than just a voice-search engine. However, if you're not a fan, you can turn it off if you want.