It is the same reason I still buy physical copies of books and music. Though I have mostly given up on physical copies of movies and TV. But even with the latter for the ones I own I store backups on a hard drive not connected to the internet.

For the same reason that even though one could rent a condo or apartment and have all of your maintenance cared for, some people do in fact like to own things. If not just for the sake of something potentially increasing in value. But because when you own something, with in reason, no one else can tell you what to do with it or how to use it. When it belongs to someone else, they can take it away or change it. I have thousands of songs you can't find on any legal subscription music service. I have lots of only movies that have been changed, remastered, or edited with only the new approved version available too.

When you rely on others for things you need, you are vulnerable to their whims, political, climate, and other outside agendas than may not align with your own.

Lame.

I have a bridge I can sell you only $200k.

I bought a quest 3. I use it several times a week. I have only visited ‘the metaverse” two maybe three times. I do not find it remotely interesting or fun. That said I have watched sports in virtual bars, theaters, beach bonfires, etc with a bunch of strangers many times on a different virtual platform you can access with any VR headset and that’s been more fun than watching sports alone on a weeknight after the kids go to bed and the wife isn’t interested in watching the game. And a lot cheaper than going to an actual bar. So as a concept the metaverse isn’t completely dumb, it just doesn’t serve any purpose without a shared interest greater than exploring a bunch of weird worlds with mediocre graphic someone created while a bunch of teenagers swear at each other.

Eurozone population growth last year was .04%. The the majority coming from immigration. So an economic growth rate of .06% still outpaces the population growth. If the population growth was faster than the economic growth then it would actually be more of an issue. Of course economic growth doesn’t directly translate into job. But it should also translate to greater funding for the welfare state.

Apple already has that to a degree. You have the option to enable Chat GPT to answer questions Siri can't.

I am surprised they are not showing higher prices than the original retailer and taking a cut for themselves. Though I suspect that is the next step.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and looking for a good time, call: (816) 323-4652

Why on earth would anyone but a business give there any, or at least a real, phone number and physical address on their social media account? They don’t even have my real name.

I don’t think annual refresh is best from the consumer or business standpoint point. I think the Quest works more like console gaming system vs laptop/tower system. With a consistent platform people can be assured they games will just work without having to constantly upgrade their systems.

In that context a three to five year refresh makes sense. Faster than a typical console because it does so much more, but not so fast people who bought one feel like they wasted their money because it doesn’t play the latest games very well and isn’t upgradable. Though that is somewhat ameliorated by being able to hook the Quest to a PC, being tethered removes one of the best features of the quest: it’s wireless and can be used anywhere. When the weather is nice, I use mine in the backyard to play games or sometimes lie in the hammock to watch movies/sports outside.

That all said I am eager for an upgrade. If someone can up with one the graphics experience akin to the PS5 in a standalone device at a reasonable price point, that would be stellar. I do think that for the most part, Meta did a good job with the OS. Plus, you can side load software fairly easily. As far as setup, it is not connected to any of Meta’s social media. I created a new email specifically to setup the Quest. But I have no brand loyalty. If someone else does it I’ll jump ship.

A problem looking for a solution. I don’t see how this would help with AR/VR. 6GHz isn’t any faster than 5Ghz in Wi-Fi 7. Does this change that for the next standard? Also you are likely to have AR/VR device near your skull when in use. A phone kept near your groin. And watch touching your wrist. Do we really want higher power radios bombarding those area? Why not just use 5GHz at a lower power? Add in the additional radiation and just plain interference for apartment/condo dwellers and people in compact shared public places, and I don’t see his this is a good thing or what problem it solves. What am I missing?

I have another watch that automatically adjust time zones when entering a new time zone anywhere near a large city. It never needs to charge. It is powered of my wrist and arm swimming motion combined with solar. It looks a lot nice than my iWatch too, but I suppose that is subjective. However, it doesn't do all the other things my smartwatch can do. So I only really wear it when I am "dressing up".

But thanks for the advice.

My smartwatches battery last a day and half under typical use.
My smartphone lasts almost two days with my typical use.
My laptop lasts around twenty hours if I was using it the whole time. Almost three full work days of typical use.
My drone has three swappable batteries giving it about 120 minutes of flight. I rarely fly it more than 30 minutes at any given time. I’m not racing or shooting a scripted movie.

Batteries have gotten good enough and chips have gotten efficient enough, I rarely use any of the portable charging battery packs I already own any more. Even an overnight or weekend backpacking trip I only bring a small one to charge my watch. But even then I can squeeze a whole weekend out of if I leave the screen off and don’t track any workouts. But then why bring the watch? Turn off the cell radio and Wi-Fi and the phone battery will last about 4 days only periodically using it as a camera.

Portable chargers are not nearly as needed as when a smartphone batteries were often be at 20% by early evening or late afternoon.

My household’s PHEV gets roughly 38-45 miles on electric only. Most days we use it, it doesn’t uses gas. We only fill up it’s tiny gas tank, 6 gallons, about every 6 weeks. Even on primarily gas it gets about 42 miles a gallon. That isn’t just better mileage. It electric with a gasoline backup and sometimes range extender. It is my wife’s primary commuter.

We also have a ICE SUV. That thing gets about 20 mpg with its 16 gallon tank. When we need to haul things it’s great to have, but it only gets used about 3000 miles a year theses days. Though to be fair, we also live in a walkable area with two train lines and I now work remotely. I’m eyeing all electric Rivian R2 in 3 years when I pass it down when the oldest turns 16. We are the demographics this article talks about.

With the majority of US households having 2 vehicles, I do think if when it came time to replace one of them the did so with an ice vehicle it would be wise to do so. With the way our infrastructure is in this country having an ICE or PHEV, hybrid vehicle around is probably wise. But an EV costs way less to maintain and are a pleasure to drive. Plus if you have a garage/place to charge you always have max range when you leave the house. But cars that can take gas, or diesel, are still better for long road trips and towing things. Your household having one of each gives you the best of both worlds.

I get the same things with a $500, when it is not on sale.

I tried an AVP and it was indeed better hardware just not $3000 better. For what it costs it should be able to dual boot or have a VM where you can run the latest MacOS. Yes, I have a MacBook Pro, and more Apple productions than I would like to admit. The MacBook Pro even cost more than the AVP. But it is a real computer and I shouldn't have to haul it around in addition to a $3500 computer in order to get a work environment.

The AVP is amazing hardware, that has little utility beyond a consumption device for someone with a strong preference for Apple products and money to burn.

If the AVP could run MacOS. I could see myself hauling it around in some situations with a portable keyboard and mouse instead of the laptop. For a confined yet safe space like an airplane, Amtrak, or hotel room it probably would be preferable. As a proof of concept I have used my Quest 3 with remote desktop from the MacBook, and a windows computer. It works pretty well. But not better than my dual monitor setup at my home office. And if I am away from the home office and have to bring the laptop anyway, except for back in the hotel room. The laptop by itself, or laptop and iPad, is the better option than puling out the lap and pulling out the headset. Or conversely if I am going to just consume content instead of work, the VR headset solo is the better option. But with the processing power in the AVP, Apple is making a choice for it to be a consumption device like the iPad instead of letting it be a real computer. It is a poor choice. I would wager it would highly likely increase sales if it could differentiate itself from the VR competition by marketing it as a VR workstation with a polished full OS.