The Vision Pro is here!

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

After years of speculation and waiting, Apple’s Vision Pro headsets are finally set to hit stores on Feb. 2 — ushering in a new era for the tech giant.

With slumping sales in other categories and lagging behind in the AI race — can Apple’s hyped launch rekindle the company’s magic? Let’s get into it…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Apple's Vision Pro headsets hit stores Feb. 2

• Neoplants showcases enhanced air-scrubbing houseplants

• 9 new products

• Samsung unveils world’s first transparent MicroLED screen

• Moon landing at risk of being aborted

• Blackrock, Fidelity compete on Bitcoin ETF fees

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

APPLE

🥽 Apple's Vision Pro headsets hit stores Feb. 2

The Rundown: Apple announced its hotly-anticipated Vision Pro augmented reality headsets will go on sale in the U.S. on Feb. 2 for $3,499 — marking the tech giant’s first new product launch since the Apple Watch in 2015.

The details:

• The headset is billed as a breakthrough in "spatial computing", blending AR and VR that aims to transform communication, entertainment, gaming, and work.

• The tech runs the all-new VisionOS platform, which extends iOS/iPadOS capabilities into immersive apps and experiences.

• Hundreds of retail staffers are already undergoing extensive hands-on product training in preparation for launch day.

• Pre-orders open on Jan. 19 at the $3,499 price point.

Why it matters: At a steep price point, this initial launch may be for early adopters and Apple fanboys only. But with sleek new tech and a bold step into a brand new product category, Apple has a chance to alter the retail landscape with another iPod/iPhone/iPad moment.

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NEOPLANTS

🪴 Neoplants showcases enhanced air-scrubbing houseplants

The Rundown: French startup Neoplants just unveiled its Neo P1 plant at CES 2024, which leverages synthetic biology to scrub indoor air 20x more effectively than regular houseplants by removing volatile pollutants.

The details:

• The Neo P1 is created using a bio-engineered version of the Pothos (or devil’s vine), a common, low-maintenance houseplant.

• Neoplants hails that one Neo P1 plant is the equivalent of 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification, and recycles the pollutants instead of storing them.

• The Neo P1 starts at $179 per plant, which includes ‘Power Drops’ to enhance soil and a shell container to maximize air exchange.

Why it matters: In a sea of high-tech releases at CES, tapping bio-engineering for super houseplants adds some nice greenery to the mix. And an added bonus — we only have to keep one plant alive instead of 30 to keep the air clean!

NEW PRODUCTS

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🤖 Float16- Affordable Asian-language LLMs API (link)

💼 Rizz.farm- AI-powered Reddit lead generation (link)

💬 Rely.io- Developer portal featuring a conversational AI assistant (link)

🖼️ Stylar- AI-powered editable image editor (link)

✉️ pipl.ai- Scalable AI-powered cold outreach (link)

📰 AVI by True AI- Fake news eradicator (link)

📊 Sheet AI- Put AI in your Google Sheets (link)

🗣 Speechify- Transcribe everything into audio for you to listen to (link)

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SNIPPETS

Wi-Fi 7 devices are now being officially certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance to ensure compatibility and performance improvements for high-bandwidth and low-latency applications.

Samsung unveiled the world's first transparent MicroLED screen at CES 2024.

Apple's iPhone sales in China are expected to continue their steep decline amidst a resurgence of Huawei, bolstered by its popular Mate 60 series.

The Peregrine spacecraft is at risk of aborting its moon landing due to a malfunction preventing its solar panels from charging its batteries.

Nvidia debuts its RTX 4080 Super and 4070 series GPUs with improved performance and AI features at CES 2024.

BlackRock and Fidelity set competitive fees for their upcoming spot Bitcoin ETFs, aiming to attract investors ahead of U.S. regulatory approval.

Duolingo officially cut 10% of its contracted workforce, citing generative AI upgrades requiring less staffing needs.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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