Posts on X are popping up reporting that Microsoft has signed a development and supply contract with Samsung Display for micro-OLED displays.
The information originates from a Korean tech site, The Elec, which claims that Microsoft wants “hundreds of thousands” of these displays for an XR device designed for gaming and media consumption. In other words, a competitor for the Vision Pro — or rather, another competitor for the Vision Pro.
Microsoft just signed a development AND SUPPLY contract with Samsung Display for Micro-OLED displays at the level of “hundreds of thousands”
“Microsoft is creating new Mixed Reality devices to consume media/games rather than explore the Metaverse”
AKA: an Apple Vision Pro rival pic.twitter.com/scJsCXvmVI
— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) August 7, 2024
Sony, Samsung, Google, and Meta are all working on Vision Pro rivals in partnership with each other and other companies like LG and Qualcomm, and now it looks like we can add Microsoft to the list as well. The company is no stranger to headsets, having made both VR gaming headsets in the past and the work-enhancing AR headset HoloLens.
Whether the HoloLens 3 project is still alive and well is uncertain, though Microsoft definitely hasn’t officially canceled the project (yet). Either way, not much has been happening on the XR front at Microsoft for some time, so the prospect of a new device is welcome news.
The Korean report, citing industry sources, said the Microsoft XR device could arrive as early as 2026. This seems pretty quick, especially considering that Sony’s and Google’s devices don’t have any launch dates yet, and Meta’s headset isn’t expected until 2027.
Despite the Vision Pro’s rocky launch and numerous critics, it seems to have done its most important job — to kick-start a new wave of XR devices. With any luck, we should see continued improvements and innovations in this area for some time.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.