The Ghost Howls

JUNE 4, 2023

I need to rush out this newsletter episode because otherwise tomorrow Apple launches its headset and no one will read my articles: everyone will be too busy reading “The top 5 features of the Apple headset” or “The 7 reasons why the Apple headset can revolutionize peeling potatoes”. How is Apple going to sell this headset?

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 10, 2021

Image by HTC Vive). HTC new products may be the Vive Pro 2 and the Vive Focus 3. According to a leak discovered by Protocol, HTC may launch two headsets tomorrow at Vivecon: The Vive Pro 2, a premium PC VR headset, priced at €842 ($1,012) The Vive Focus 3 Business Edition, a business-oriented standalone, for €1,474 ($1,771).

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AR Insider

APRIL 12, 2021

This week, Apple and Epic continue to exchange blows, Tom Brady leans into NFTs and Vuzix forms partnership with TechSee. Let’s dive in… Apple says Epic’s Fortnite lawsuit is a marketing stunt to revive ‘flagging interest’ in the game. W elcome back to Spatial Beats. That’s right, baby.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

HTC VIVE announced on Thursday it will sell its XR Elite mixed reality (MR) headset as a premium bundle for gaming. HTC VIVE Business+ Package FOr enterprises, HTC VIVE launched a major package for its VIVE Business+ solution. The Economist hosted the premier industry meeting to showcase and demo flagship XR strategies.

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The Ghost Howls

JULY 10, 2023

The reason is the one I’ve already reported in this newsletter a few weeks ago: after the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro, Samsung has been caught a bit off guard by the announced features and it is now trying to power up its headset so that it will be able to properly compete with Apple’s device.

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Road to VR

JANUARY 3, 2024

Apple Announces Vision Pro Image courtesy Apple The News Apple announced is Vision Pro headset in June of 2023 marking the company’s first public step into the XR headset space. Apple also boldly announced the headset’s staggering $3,500 price, despite a launch date set for nearly a year later.

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UploadVR Between Realities podcast

JANUARY 29, 2017

For every Nintendo there is a Sega and for every Apple there is a Microsoft. There are a handful of major players already cutting their teeth in VR including Google, Sony and Samsung; but the two titans sitting at the top of the heap are Oculus and HTC. Oculus/Apple . HTC/Microsoft . For every Facebook there is a Twitter.

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Productivity means especially companies and professionals, and the new expensive Quest Pro headset fits completely this strategy. Meta Quest Pro and the strategy pivot. The headset has a price that could make HTC pale, and I wonder why no one has started making the same comparisons that were usually made for HTC.

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ARPost

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

That’s the direction we’re going in right now and companies are laying their cards on the table in a bid to be the dominant force driving us forward through their own varying strategies. In comparison to the upcoming competitors we’ll discuss, this device by far stands above the rest in terms of financial expense alongside Apple.

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XR Today - Virtual Reality

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

During the first phase, the Kentucky Department of Education learned and adapted its distribution strategy to ensure best practices when deploying the next wave of Quest headsets at scale in educational environments – taking lessons learned into phase two.

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The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

As I said a few months ago , we are in the middle of a paradigm change: the cycle that started with the Quest is arriving at an end, and a new cycle driven by new technologies (mixed reality headsets) and new players (Apple, Google) is starting. They are Apple AR glasses!” I have this impression for a few reasons.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 22, 2024

Zuck always said that Meta is the “open ecosystem” that fights against Apple’s closed ecosystem, but until today there was nothing open at all. Meta risked being squeezed again between the two giants Apple and Google , ready to bring their domination directly from the phones to the XR headsets.

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The Ghost Howls

JUNE 7, 2023

After having seen the teaser of the Quest 3 and especially the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro (about which you can read my opinion here ), I’m always more convinced that we have entered into a new phase of XR history. And this is opening new opportunities for all of us. The big dogs are all coming.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

JULY 31, 2023

A media report has come out swinging against Apple’s Vision Pro headset, stating it has failed to innovate the mixed reality (MR) market. The author wrote, “But as with generative AI, Apple is not exactly the first to the game. And don’t just burden them with this massive price.”

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 7, 2024

Its userbase is superior to known PCVR headsets like the HTC Vive Pro and Pro 2 and most probably in the next weeks, it will also surpass the Pico 4. It’s not clear what the effects of this strategy change will be: for now, Apple seems still interested in providing a cheaper Vision Pro and also in investigating the release of smartglasses.

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The Ghost Howls

APRIL 24, 2018

The HTC Vive Pro page on Amazon US. I’m a bit comparing pears with apples, I know that. As I’ve told in some previous posts of mine, it is all matter of market positioning : HTC wants to position its device as a premium device, not as a consumer one. Today, finally, we have all the pricing info that we need.

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The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

We may know the field of view of Apple AR headset. Of course, since he has not an Apple HMD, the only thing he could obtain was the screen splitting in two on his phone, showing that view that we XR developers know very well. It is now sure that Apple is going to release an AR headset , the questions are just when and what.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 13, 2024

Top news of the week (Image by Apple) Apple Vision Pro 2 may come in 2026 The rumors about the Apple Vision Pro 2 continue. It seems that most of the rumors are aligning on the launch of an Apple Vision Pro 2 in 2026–2027. What a time to be alive! Matt Miesnieks said that the rumor aligns with some things he heard.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 25, 2020

Apple Glasses may release in 2021 for $499. In the end, technologist Jon Prosser has revealed the main details he knows about the Apple Glasses. Well, on another website, I’ve been able to find someone that reading some Apple’s documents has found pictures of strange colored circular tags that may act as QR Codes for Apple devices.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

MAY 30, 2023

As WWDC approaches, Apple continues to drop hints, leading spectators to assume an immersive device is coming that continues the transformative firm’s track record of distributing game-changing consumer hardware. An XR device from Apple could be massive. Apple’s putting a lot of money into this.

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The Ghost Howls

MARCH 1, 2024

I don’t know how many of them will prove to be true, but for sure they all can be something that can inspire you to define your XR strategy for this year. Huawei and Pico are rumored to be working on an Apple Vision Pro competitor). And they are entering it to dominate it.

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Upload VR

JANUARY 29, 2024

Meta is reportedly optimistic about the release of Apple Vision Pro, seeing itself as the future Android of the market. The Wall Street Journal cites "people familiar with their thinking" as saying that Meta executives believe Apple's entry into the market will "validate Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s gamble and draw more consumers".

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 22, 2024

More info The Vive Focus Vision has been released HTC has decided to release the Vive Focus Vision the same week as the Quest 3S. It seems that HTC has invested a lot in providing a standalone headset that is great for PCVR and so it features a lossless wired Displayport connection, very high display resolution, and integrated eye tracking.

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The Ghost Howls

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

Furthermore, HTC already has a setup that works without SteamVR stations , and it is more expensive than this one, but HTC has more experience with trackers. We need companies to commit to this space like Meta and Apple are doing. This could be huge. The Focus 3 was a solid headset, so this may be a good headset for enterprise.

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The Ghost Howls

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Top news of the week (Image by Apple) Apple Vision Pro may be out in January According to the latest report on Bloomberg, Apple is still on track to release the Apple Vision Pro at the beginning of this year. I’m personally a bit confused by Bytedance’s strategy. I hope we will meet there and have fun together!

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

JUNE 6, 2023

Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive , debuted the Vision Pro on Monday evening to the heightened anticipation of tech fans worldwide. Price (Pain) Points Notwithstanding the $3,499 price point, one must assess what makes Apple’s Vision Pro accessible, and to whom. The device was ethereal in its reveal.

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Tech Trends VR

APRIL 9, 2018

We expect stand-alone headsets like the Oculus Go and HTC Vive Focus to ignite a new wave of growth that will help broaden the appeal of virtual reality, particularly with businesses and in education,” says George Jijiashvili, CCS Insight’s senior analyst for wearables. billion in 2022. billion Click To Tweet.

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Road to VR

OCTOBER 24, 2024

That’s likely because it’s busy working on its own XR strategy and doesn’t want to give Meta an upper hand. This has clearly been a struggle for HTC Vive which doesn’t have the money to burn to subsidize its hardware like Meta.

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The Ghost Howls

AUGUST 24, 2020

Apple threatens future support in Unreal Engine. According to an evidence presented by Epic Games, Apple has not only removed Fortnite from the Apple Store, but it has also revoked the status of developer to Epic Games. All Apple software, SDKs, APIs, and developer tools ? The same on Twitter. Other relevant news.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

JANUARY 18, 2023

Apple’s extended reality (XR) product lineup faces additional setbacks after reports revealed it indefinitely postponed augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. Apple stated the smart glasses face technical issues, forcing Apple to delay the launch of the device until further notice. Product Innovation, Interoperability.

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XR Today - Augmented Reality tag

DECEMBER 9, 2022

Going forward, we’re likely to see the company investing even more in the XR space, as headsets become more affordable, and development strategies grow. As one of the better-known companies in the virtual reality space, HTC VIVE has already proven to be a valuable partner for countless companies transitioning into the XR space.

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TechCrunch VR

NOVEMBER 7, 2021

The most valuable companies in the world own the metal on which their software applications run: Apple and Microsoft have had their fingers in the hardware pie for years, and even Google was able to build a robust OS business with Android. Could this really be the time for VR? The “metaverse” already exists in Fortnite and Roblox.

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The Ghost Howls

JANUARY 22, 2021

Regarding the glasses, I have not big hopes for true AR glasses, but I think that thanks to Facebook and Apple, finally we’ll have some important smartglasses entering the market , making the mainstream think about wearing something on their face to enjoy notifications from the phone. Phone AR will be always more popular.

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The Ghost Howls

MAY 2, 2022

More info (Meta’s reported financials) More info (Some graphs on Meta’s financials) More info (Meta may have to slow down some investments) More info (All the official financial numbers by Meta) More info (Zuck commenting Meta’s strategy) More info (11–12M Quests estimate). Image by HTC Vive). Other relevant news. Image by Snap).

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The Ghost Howls

OCTOBER 7, 2022

After the shutdown of Oculus For Business , Meta’s enterprise strategy became very cloudy, with the enterprise Quest becoming the same device as the consumer Quest. The main UI of the Vive Focus Plus, which also included the PC VR games you could play through the headset (Image by HTC Vive). Quest for enterprise.

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Road to VR

MARCH 19, 2020

While other headset makers and platforms like HTC, Windows VR, and Pimax all build and maintain their own software integrations to make their headsets work with SteamVR, it’s Valve, not Oculus, which develops and maintains the integration which allows the Rift and Quest to work on the platform.

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XR Today - Mixed Reality tag

AUGUST 30, 2022

The platform, which is compatible with major immersive tech providers such as Magic Leap, Meta Platforms, Microsoft HoloLens, Apple, HTC VIVE, Ready Player Me, and Google recently provided the University of Glasgow with an EON-XR Centre to train and engage students with the XR tool.

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