Category: Tech

Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro isn’t for everyone, and indeed, the latest pre-order estimates reflect a slow start for this VR spatial computing device. According to analyst Min-Chi Kuo’s calculations based on pre-order inventory and shipping time, he reckons the company sold somewhere between 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro headsets during this past weekend. This already far exceeds Kuo’s earlier production figures of 60,000 to 80,000 units targeting the initial release on February 2, which is no wonder that the Vision Pro was sold out immediately after pre-orders opened.

While this sounds like positive news, Kuo pointed out that with shipping times remaining unchanged within the first 48 hours, this might indicate a quick drop in demand after the heavy users and hardcore fans were done pre-ordering. In contrast, iPhone orders would usually “see a steady increase in shipping times 24 to 48 hours after pre-orders open.” But of course, the Vision Pro isn’t meant for the average consumer in its current state, especially given the lack of some mainstream apps like YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. Not to mention the eye-watering $3,499 base price either, though Apple may later release a cheaper model in the ballpark of $1,500 to $2,500, according to an earlier report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Kuo added that even with the device being sold out based on the upper initial production figure of 80,000 units, that only accounts for about 0.007 percent of Apple’s 1.2 billion active users, which makes the Vision Pro “a very niche product” in the eyes of Cupertino. That is to say, the tech giant will need to somehow drum up and sustain demand for the headset before its global launch, which is rumored to take place some time before this year’s WWDC — likely in June. Meanwhile, Apple is also busy setting up demo areas at its US flagship stores, in the hopes of making a few more sales with their 25-minute sessions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-might-have-sold-up-to-180000-vision-pro-headsets-over-pre-order-weekend-081727344.html?src=rss

Terraform Labs, the company that wiped out $40 billion from the crypto market with the collapse of its TerraUSD and Luna stablecoins, has finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday. Bloomberg reports that the crypto firm’s estimated assets and liabilities are both in the range of $100 million to $500 million, with the estimated number of creditors being somewhere between 100 and 199. Co-founder and former CEO Do Kwon is listed as the majority shareholder at 92 percent, with an address registered in Singapore — where the company is incorporated.

Following the arrest of Kwon and his associate in Montenegro for traveling with forged passports last March, Kwon is currently still in jail until his extradition to the US — likely by mid-March, according to Bloomberg — where he will face securities fraud charges. The entrepreneur is also wanted in his home country, South Korea, for similar charges, which reportedly led to him, his family and some key Terraform Labs personnel fleeing to Singapore between April and May 2022. Shortly before Interpol placed him on the “red notice” list in September that year, Kwon denied that he was “on the run,” but the eventual discovery of his fake passports would suggest otherwise.

Kwon will likely join the fate of other big names in the crypto downfall, namely Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX fame and former Celsius Network chief Alex Mashinsky. Meanwhile, Coinbase continues its battle against the SEC’s accusation of illegally running an unregistered national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency. Bloomberg analyst Elliott Stein recently shared that Coinbase may likely win full dismissal as soon as this quarter, if not by the end of Q2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doomed-crypto-firm-terraform-labs-files-for-bankruptcy-in-the-us-055731287.html?src=rss

OpenAI has suspended the developer behind Dean.Bot, a ChatGPT-powered bot designed to impersonate Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips to help bolster his campaign, according to The Washington Post. The chatbot was created by AI startup Delphi for the super PAC We Deserve Better, which supports Phillips.

Dean.Bot didn’t all-out pretend to be Phillips himself; before engaging with Dean.Bot, website visitors would be shown a disclaimer describing the nature of the chatbot. Still, this type of use goes directly against OpenAI’s policies. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the developer’s suspension in a statement to the Post. It comes just weeks after OpenAI published a lengthy blog post about the measures it’s taking to prevent the misuse of its technology ahead of the 2024 elections, specifically citing “chatbots impersonating candidates” as an example of what’s not allowed. 

Dean.Bot

OpenAI also said in its blog post that it does not “allow people to build applications for political campaigning and lobbying.” Per an earlier story by The Washington Post, the intent of Dean.Bot was to engage with potential supporters and spread the candidate’s message. Following the Post’s inquiry, Delphi initially removed ChatGPT from the bot and kept it running with other, open-source tools before ultimately taking it town altogether on Friday night once OpenAI stepped in. 

If you visit the site now, you’ll still be greeted by the disclaimer — but the chatbot itself is down due to “technical difficulties,” presenting visitors with the message, “Apologies, DeanBot is away campaigning right now!” Engadget has reached out to OpenAI for comment. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-suspends-developer-over-chatgpt-bot-that-impersonated-a-presidential-candidate-214854456.html?src=rss