Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta is discontinuing the Quest Pro, its high-end VR headset launched in 2022 that we said “isn’t very good.” The company plans to sell its remaining Quest Pro headsets through the end of the year or “until they’re gone, whichever comes first,” according to a blog post. Meta’s post didn’t specify why it’s moving on from the Quest Pro so soon, but it’s clear the headset wasn’t well received. My colleague Adi Robertson rated the headset a 4, finding that the device was heavy and uncomfortable and that its professional-focused Workrooms experience was “basically a matter of luck.” At launch, the Quest Pro was also jaw-droppingly expensive at $1,499. Meta permanently dropped the price to $999 just months after launch, but that was still a... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Just two months after releasing its last big AI model, Meta is back with a major update: its first open-source model capable of processing both images and text. The new model, Llama 3.2, could allow developers to create more advanced AI applications, like augmented reality apps that provide real-time understanding of video, visual search engines that sort images based on content, or document analysis that summarizes long chunks of text for you. Meta says it’s going to be easy for developers to get the new model up and running. Developers will have to do little except add this “new multimodality and be able to show Llama images and have it communicate,” Ahmad Al-Dahle, vice president of generative AI at Meta, told The Verge. Other AI... Continue reading…

Image: Meta If you think avoiding AI-generated images is difficult as it is, Facebook and Instagram are now going to put them directly into your feeds. At the Meta Connect event on Wednesday, the company announced that it’s testing a new feature that creates AI-generated content for you “based on your interests or current trends” — including some that incorporate your face. When you come across an “Imagined for You” image in your feed, you’ll see options to share the image or generate a new picture in real time. One example (embedded below) shows several AI-generated images of “an enchanted realm, where magic fills the air.” But others could contain your face... which I’d imagine will be a bit creepy to stumble upon as you scroll. G... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta is adding conversational voices by celebrities to its AI chatbot in Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. The company announced at its Connect event today that you can now talk to Meta AI and hear it respond in one of several voices, including celebrity soundalikes such as Awkwafina, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell, and the only one I truly care about: Dame Judi Dench. Meta’s AI voices, ft. Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell These celebrity voices will only be available to US users of Meta’s apps to start. And if you prefer a voice that is a little more mundane, you can also pick from non-celeb voices with names like “Aspen,” “Atlas,” or “Clover.” Google and OpenAI also now offer similar conversational... Continue reading…

The MX Ink is available to buy now following its announcement back in June. | Image: Logitech Logitech has released a pen-shaped Meta Quest controller that makes it easier to draw, sculpt, and manipulate objects in mixed reality environments. After initially being announced back in June, the $129.99 Logitech MX Ink stylus is available to buy starting today and can be paired with the Meta Quest 3S, Quest 3, and Quest 2 headsets via the Meta Quest app. The MX Ink should feel more comfortable and natural to use across 2D and 3D creative software compared to much bulkier Quest controllers, especially for artists who are more accustomed to working on traditional drawing tablets. It’ll be down to developers to make their apps compatible with the stylus, with support already announced for Open Brush, Gravity Sketch, and Adobe Substance... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are already one of the best cracks at AI hardware to date. Now, Meta is pushing out a series of software updates, along with a new transparent Ray-Ban style, that bring the smart glasses closer to actually feeling smart. The company announced several updates to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at its Connect conference on Wednesday, introducing new features like “Reminders,” which has the glasses take a photo of what you’re looking at and remind you about it later through a notification on your phone. You’ll also be able to scan QR codes and call phone numbers you’re looking at directly from the glasses. The Meta Ray-Bans can already translate a handful of languages from still images. Now, the company says it’s... Continue reading…

Orion is an impressive demo of AR glasses, but can Mark Zuckerberg beat everyone else to the next big platform? Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Meta’s CEO on his first pair of AR glasses, partnering with Ray-Ban, why he’s done with politics, and more. Continue reading…

A new report from Canalys reveals that Mac shipments last quarter remained relatively flat year over year. While some manufacturers like Lenovo saw shipments jump by as much as 7.7%, Mac shipments increased by just 0.5 percent. To put that into perspective, Apple shipped 2.32 million Macs in Q2 2024. By comparison, Apple shipped 2.31 million Macs in the same quarter last year. The overall PC market, meanwhile, saw a bit more action last quarter. Specifically, PC shipments for the quarter increased by 3.7% year over year. Mac shipments made up 12.3% of the total PC market share for the quarter. Leading up the pack were HP and Dell, with 26.5% and 24% market shares, respectively. Notably, revenue from Mac sales has remained somewhat steady over the last 2 years. Since 2023, Apple’s quarterly Mac revenue has hovered between $6.8 and $7.7 billion. Not surprisingly, 2021 and 2022 were record-setting years for Mac-based revenue due to Apple dropping its M1-powered Mac lineup. Those devices included a new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and a completely redesigned iMac which all launched between November 2020 and May 2021. This, of course, was followed by the release of the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models in October of 2021. This shift from Intel processors to Apple Silicon a few years ago naturally sparked an avalanche of upgrades. Predictably, consumers flocked to Apple’s new hardware, which offered improved efficiency and jaw-dropping performance. In Q4 of 2022, for instance, Mac revenue hit a record-breaking $11.5 billion. New M4 Macs are on the horizon While it remains to be seen if Apple’s quarterly revenue will reach those heights again, Apple’s foot remains fixed on the gas. Looking ahead, Apple will reportedly hold a special event in October where it will unveil four brand new M4-based Macs. That list includes a brand new iMac, a Mac mini, and refreshed 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. Apple’s M3 iMac hit stores last October so it will be interesting to see if Apple starts implementing a more aggressive upgrade schedule for the iMac. Recall that it took Apple more than two years to refresh its M1 iMac, which was released in April 2021. Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $50 off Eureka E20 Plus robot vac, $1,100 off LG C4 OLED TV, Blink cameras from $20, more The post Q2 Mac shipments were flat, but new M4 Macs promise strong growth appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best Apple Watch deals for September 2024 Today’s deals: $189 AirPods Pro, $50 DASH air fryer, $4.50 iPhone chargers, $99 DEWALT drill bundle, more Today’s deals: $689 Apple Watch Ultra 2, $40 cordless Waterpik, $305 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 laptop, more Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales

Researchers have successfully brought back to life a mysterious seed discovered in a cave in the Judean Desert during the 1980s, radiocarbon dated to more than 1,000 years old! To add to the intrigue, DNA analysis links it to a genus of tree that, although now extinct, is mentioned in the Bible. Named ‘Sheba’, scientists believe it to be a remnant of a now-extinct population of trees that once thrived in the Southern Levant, a region that includes present-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Scientists Bring a 32,000-year-old Seed Back to Life The Judean Date Palm: Extinct Tree Resurrected from Ancient Seeds The sapling grown from the seed, planted around 14 years ago. (Guy Eisner) Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later