Apple cut shipments for its Vision Pro mixed reality (MR) headset for 2024 due to weaker-than-expected demand, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities.  Kuo, who has written widely about Vision Pro on Medium, says Apple cut orders for the much-hyped headset, which blends virtual and augmented reality, even before it launched in non-US markets. Apple now expects to sell only around 400,000 to 450,000 units of the Vision Pro this year. That compares to a “market consensus” of between 700,000 to 800,000, Chi Kuo wrote, citing sources. Also read: Apple’s Vision Pr ..read more

Despite impressive quarterly results, Meta’s AI spending binge has hurt investor sentiment. After reporting a solid result, the company’s shares started to decline. According to the Financial Times, investor sentiment suffered when the company increased its capital expenditure guidance. Also read: WhatsApp Search Tool Can Now Generate Images Meta, the tech giant behind platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has reported a robust Q1 performance. Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta’s AI spending spree as shares tumble via @FT https://t.co/1CRFi6A9Il — Tuukka Alanen (@waltterialanen) April 2 ..read more

Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency has started making virtual clones of top film stars using AI under a project supposedly meant to create new acting opportunities for the humans involved.   Dubbed ‘CAA Vault’, the initiative allows the talent agency’s A-list clients, which include Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon, to create digital doppelgangers of themselves, The Information reports. The AI clones will be used in future film or TV productions, it adds. The move could shake up the entire entertainment industry, which has been on tenterhooks, as advanced AI models come to m ..read more

Meta Platforms, the company previously known as Facebook, rolled out its Llama3-powered AI chatbot feature on WhatsApp to users in more countries in the last few weeks, creating a buzz. WhatsApp users in the U.S. have already been using the AI tool in beta for months. With the update, Meta AI is promising a new layer of interaction for its three billion WhatsApp users worldwide. As the company tries to establish dominance in the generative AI market against OpenAI and Google, its new chatbot and AI search tool on WhatsApp might just give ChatGPT a run for its money. Also read: Meta Brings Majo ..read more

As the race for AI supremacy continues, Microsoft now wants to transform people’s portrait pictures into talking faces or videos with its latest tool, VASA-1. According to a research paper by the tech giant, Microsoft is taking the AI race to another level, with VASA 1, framework for creating lifelike talking faces of virtual characters with visual affective skills (VAS), all from a portrait. Also read: Video Game Industry Rush to Unionize Over AI From portraits to talking faces Although it is not yet available to the public, the tool takes a single portrait photo and speech audio and produces ..read more

Meta has rolled outs its Llama 3 models for outside developers to use for free and users are already in love with its speed. This comes as the social media platforms giant is increasing its pace in the AI race and experimenting to outpace OpenAI’s technology. The latest technology from Meta integrates real-time search, enhancing responses. The largest version of Llama 2, which was released last year had 70 billion parameters while the coming version of Llama 3 will have 400 billion. Also read: Google Nigeria Launches AI Training for Female Journalists in Lagos Open source versus proprietary mo ..read more

Meta, a leader in mixed-reality hardware, is now showing off its capabilities in VR software.  To promote AR/VR services and apps, Meta Platforms announced that it would make its Quest headset operating system available to outside hardware manufacturers. Also read: Metaverse Hub With VR, AR and Immersive Tech Opens in India With a clear vision for the future, Meta Platforms expressed its desire to see Meta Horizon OS—the mixed reality operating system that currently powers its product—running throughout an ecosystem, paving the way for innovation and growth in the AR/VR industry. CEO of M ..read more

TSMC projects that revenue from AI accelerators will increase by 50% yearly over the next five years after doubling this year. On Thursday, amid ongoing geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing reduced its full-year outlook for the semiconductor industry. Also read: Limitless AI Pendant Builds Upon the Mistakes of the Human AI Pin Even though demand will be uneven overall, TSMC anticipates producing a significantly higher volume of AI accelerators this year than it did in 2023. By 2024, the company expects that revenue from AI accelerators will have more t ..read more

Dubai, April 23, 2024 – The 12th edition of the Blockchain Life Forum, known as the leading gathering for global cryptocurrency leaders, concluded with an impressive turnout of 10,162 attendees despite the unprecedented storm that happened in Dubai. Representatives of the crypto industry have always stood apart, largely due to their unique character and the nature of their activities. After all, they are pioneers. And the most massive flood in Dubai in the last century did not prevent 10,162 people from meeting at the long-awaited Blockchain Life 2024, even despite the postponement of the seco ..read more

Indian company Metaverse911 launched a Metaverse Experience Center to offer industry leaders a new way to engage with immersive tech like virtual and augmented reality – both crucial to creating a vibrant digital ecosystem in the metaverse.  Announcing the Center on Tuesday, Metaverse911 founder Rahul Sethi said the project, based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, aims to build a lively community of innovators, seekers and creators within the Indian metaverse and immersive technology spaces. The firm plans to do this by allowing visitors to try out a range of virtual reality (VR), augmented realit ..read more