Apple's augmented reality glasses are shelved for now

For now, augmented reality tech in Apple products is limited to devices like the iPad and iPhone

Apple's rumoured augmented reality glasses will not come out anytime soon. Bloomberg reports that the project has been on hold indefinitely. It was supposed to follow up another rumoured device, the high-end mixed reality headset expected later this year. The company has supposedly faced "technical challenges" in developing these glasses. So, Apple is supposedly shifting its focus on developing the mixed reality headset.

The one expected to launch this year would supposedly cost around US$,3000 with dedicated VR hardware and a desktop-like M2 CPU like those in the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini. But then Apple is supposedly working on a more affordable option with iPhone-like hardware coming in 2024 or 2025 with a starting price closer to US$1,500.

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Apple Mac mini gets M2, M2 Pro options

Source: Apple

The Apple MacBook Pro isn't the only Apple device to get the M2 upgrade. The Apple Mac mini now comes with either an M2 or M2 Pro chip, promising a big bump in graphics processing and AI speeds. That allows it to be useful for everything from content creation to music, gaming, and more. 

The M2 model gets up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GB/s of bandwidth. According to Apple, it can "simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps." Photoshop users can expect image editing speeds to get a boost of up to 50 percent.

If you need something faster, the M2 Pro version supports up to 32GB of unified memory and 200GB/s of memory bandwidth. You can expect up to 2.5x faster graphics performance in Affinity Photo, 4.2 faster ProRes transcode in Final Cut Pro, and 2.8x faster gameplay in Resident Evil Village, Apple claims.

The new Mac mini will be available beginning January 24 at a starting price of $799.

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Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and Max chips now official

Apple has officially brought its M2 Pro and M2 Max chips to its new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. You can expect 40 percent faster performance and better battery life. Apple will start shipping these new laptops next week. 

The M2 Pro is the new entry-level processor, with either 10- or 12-core CPUs. You can expect up to a 20 percent performance boost over the 10-core M1 Pro. Its GPU goes up from 16 to 19 cores, promising improved processing for content creation apps like Photoshop.

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LG updates its sleek Gram laptop line

Source: LG

LG also brought some new laptops at CES 2023. And the most notable one is the new LG Gram 2-in-1 laptop. It comes in 14-inch and 16-inch models and weighs around 2.7 pounds. These new laptop/tablet hybrids run on the 13th-generation Intel Raptor Lake processors, 8GB to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD storage. If you're not bringing it around, you can plug these into external monitors via a pair of USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. The LG Gram also comes with a USB 3.2 port and a microSD port.

The tech brand also introduced a new LG Gram Style laptop with this pearlescent finish that hides the touchpad when not in use. There's also a new Ultraslim model that comes in at only 2.2 pounds and 11mm thick. LG hasn't shared pricing yet, but it's coming to markets like the US in February.

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