C_NCENTRATE #864 : 22 Emerging Technologies to look out for, Omicron, Apple Goggles, machine gun Tesla...
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APPLE HEADSET TO ARRIVE IN 2022
Good Omicron to you all. Sorry but it’s a double dose of Apple. The mythical Apple headset has received more information thanks to Ming-Chi Kuo (the analyst with a great record for Apple leaks). Here’s what it will look like according to The Information:
The headset will be capable of AR and VR thanks to a pair of 4k Micro OLED displays from Sony. An ‘M1-like’ chip will accompany the devices, and there will be no tethering. The chip will be speedy ala Macs and iPad Pro 2021 set. Whether or not that will be fast enough, time will tell. One thing that Apple can’t have is this be as good as Oculus Quest 2 is now. Something a lot of experts have been mulling over since the news broke.
It all sounds, sleek, light, Apple-sque; everything that Oculus Quest 2 isn’t right now. Something Oculus is acutely aware of, as are others. Amazon, Facebook and Google are all thinking AR layers first; Apple seems to want both; full immersion and the potential to use when out and about. The key issue? Power, Apple is famed for not giving adequate batteries to things like iPhones. Apple is smart not coming out with glasses first (like Facebook/Rayban, Snap have done), these are functional, but hardly aspirational objects that are unlikely to thrill most consumers, but are great for, say, parents.
__ DO __ Think of this as a moment. Apple has astronomical expectations on itself for the headset to be a massive success. Apple has said they want to replace the iPhone with AR in 10 years. A statement many experts derided on impact. Will it? If Apple wants it enough and gives us a reason to ditch phones, why not? People learned to love them. // __ DON'T __ Think that moment will be easy. Cost, actual design, the field of vision/object tracking (i.e. tech issues), battery life, looks and ease of use will be key to success. It's not hard to see one of these going awry, and Apple could find itself in a situation that Oculus is. Units are shifting, but everyone's waiting for the next iteration. Sources say that Oculus has a similar unit in the works and knows people don't want to lug around shoeboxes on their heads in the Metaverse. There’s also Magic Leap which has a new unit coming out soon. The war for your face has officially begun.
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Whatsapp has 20m users in India and has just got approval for the next 20m. > 6 mins
Someone has attached machine guns to a Tesla. > 4 mins
WHO details on new COVID variant, Omicron. > 2 mins
Here’s a TED talk summariser. > 2 mins
A peanut allergy patch appears to be safe to wear for years (2% of the western world are sufferers). > 6 mins
Why today’s top execs need hands-on digital skills. > 9 mins
The CEO of Lush is deleting Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat accounts over teen mental health - it’ll cost them 13 million. > 6 mins
Why your gut may be your “first brain”. > 5 mins
Ready for plastic made out of DNA and vegetable oil? > 3 mins
Why the energy transition will be so complicated. > 7 mins
The Economist has created a list of 22 emerging technologies to watch. > 15 mins