With Apple’s “Let us Loop You In” event set for Monday morning, more detailed rumors about the new products Apple has in store are surfacing. This morning, we’re reporting a new iPad Pro will measure 9.7-inches and come in at $599 for a 32 GB version. A 128 GB version and models with LTE wireless will of course cost more, making this new tab one of Apple’s most expensive yet.
Of course, hot hardware is also expected under the hood, including a quick A9x chip, possibly 4 GB of RAM, and a 12-Megapixel rear camera, because taking amazing photos with a tablet is totally practical and doesn’t look dorky at all!
Naturally, there’s more big news expected from this event. We think Apple is going to do away with the headphone jack on the anticipated iPhone 7, which, though many expect it, is a change likely to cause quite a ruckus once the event is over.
There are many implications to ditching the plug that we’ve been using to listen to music for decades, but believe it or not, it might not be such a crazy idea. Digital Trends’ Ryan Waniata digs into the issue in a special feature discussing what the move means for you, and Apple.
Just a couple of Days after Sony officially announced the PlayStation VR, the company has announced a launch bundle for pre-order that takes a little bit of the sting out of getting into the gaming-friendly VR platform. When Sony announced its VR headset would cost just $400, many were quick to point out that you’d have to spend quite a bit more to get necessary accessories to make it all work.
Now we know Sony is offering a bundle for $500 that gives you everything you need to get going. Everything except a PlayStation 4, of course. Only this bundle is available for pre-order, and in limited quantities. It will include the PlayStation VR headset, a PlayStation camera, stereo headphones, a VR game, and two PlayStation Move controllers.
Of course, if you need to get yourself a PS4, that will run you about $300, so you’re looking at $800 all-in, but games options will be plentiful, and you’ll be able to watch movies in cinematic mode. By comparison, the HTV Vive will cost $800, the Occulus Rift $600, and both will require fancy computers to power them, making PlayStation VR a real deal by comparisonn.
Finally, after making its purchase of Boston Dynamics three years to the day, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, says it is putting the robotics firm up for sale.
It may seem odd considering all the amazing robotics videos we’ve seen coming from Boston Dynamics of late, but after failing to produce a product it could send to market, and with internal concerns that its robot arm could cause serious PR issues down the road, it seems Alphabet is ready to let go of its robotic dog and all the other cool but kinda scary bots its bred over the past few years.
Bloomberg thinks Toyota, and Amazon might be potential buyers, which makes you wonder if we’re really better off in a world where the world’s number one Internet Retailer stands a chance at becoming our robotic overlord.
That’s it for DT Daily this week, we look forward to seeing you back here on Monday for the big Apple event.
