If you’re an Apple fan and your new year’s resolution is to save your money this January, we’ve got some bad news: a new rumor says Apple’s Vision Pro headset will go on sale in just a few weeks’ time. However – and perhaps fortunately for your finances – there are some serious questions floating around the rumor.
The mooted January launch date comes from Wall Street Insights, a news outlet for Chinese investors (via MacRumors). According to a machine-translated version of the report, “Apple Vision Pro is expected to be launched in the United States on January 27, 2024.”
The report adds that “Supply chain information shows that Sony is currently the first supplier of silicon-based OLEDs for the first-generation Vision Pro, and the second supplier is from a Chinese company, which will be the key to whether Vision Pro can expand its production capacity.”
With the supposed launch date just 25 days away, it might not be long before we see Apple’s most significant new product in years. Yet, despite the apparent certainty in the report, there are reasons to be skeptical about its accuracy.
Date uncertainty
For one thing, January 27 is a Saturday, an unlikely day for an Apple product launch. It could be that Wall Street Insights is referring to January 27 in China which, thanks to time zone differences, aligns with Friday January 26 in the United States. That’s a much more probable release date, as it doesn't coincide with the weekend, when many of the media outlets that would cover the Vision Pro will be providing reduced news coverage. Yet the report specifically mentions the date in the US, meaning that questions remain.
Moving past the specific date, an early 2024 launch date has been put forward by a number of reputable Apple analysts. Ming-Chi Kuo, for example, has suggested a late January or early February timeframe, while Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has zeroed in on February as the release month.
Either way, it’s clear that the Vision Pro is almost upon us. Apple has reportedly been training retail staff how to use the device, which implies that the company is almost ready to pull the trigger.
We’ll see how accurate the Wall Street Insights report is in a few weeks’ time. Regardless of whether or not it has the correct date, we’re undoubtedly on the brink of seeing Apple’s most anticipated new product in recent memory.
To ring in 2024 Meta has announced permanent price cuts for the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and its accessories. The 128GB model now costs $ 249.99 / £249.99 / AU$ 439.99, while the 256GB version is $ 299.99 / $ 299.99 /AU$ 499.99 – saving you $ 50 / £50 on either model in the UK and US, or AU$ 70 and AU$ 80 respectively in Australia.
As for the Quest 2 accessories, the new prices are as follows:
Elite Strap: $ 49.99 / £49.99 / AU$ 89.99 – down from $ 59.99 / £59.99 / AU$ 84.99
Carrying Case: $ 44.99 / £44.99 / AU$ 79.99 – down from $ 59.99 / £59.99 / $ 89.99
Elite Strap with Battery: $ 89.99 / £84.99 / AU$ 154.99 – down from $ 119.99 / £109.99 / AU$ 189.99
Active Pack: $ 59.99 / £59.99 / AU$ 109.99 – down from $ 69.99 / £69.99 / AU$ 99.99
Fit Pack: $ 39.99 / £39.99 / AU$ 69.99 – down from $ 49.99 / £49.99 / AU$ 69.99
While a carrying case is useful, the Elite Strap with Battery is the best upgrade if you’re looking for recommendations. It not only extends the battery life of your headset but also provides a more secure and comfortable fit, thanks in part to the battery acting as a counterweight to the headset.
That said, some third-party accessories are just as good, if not better, and cheaper to boot, so you might want to consider those instead, even after these price cuts. Also, you should note that these accessories won’t fit the Meta Quest 3 – so don’t pick them up thinking you can get cut-price add-ons for your new VR headset.
Meta hasn’t said why the Quest 2 and its add-ons have had a price drop, though our guess is that it's to enable Meta to clear out stock and make room for the newer Meta Quest 3, and a first step towards phasing out the old VR headset.
The Quest 2’s twilight years
VR gadgets becoming cheaper and more accessible is a great thing in our book – it means more people than ever can experience what the best virtual reality software has to offer. But this announcement is bittersweet.
As great as the Quest 2 has been – single-handedly making VR mainstream for a start – its time eventually had to come to an end. With the Meta Quest 3 now here, and replacing the Quest 2 as our favorite affordable VR headset, it makes sense that Meta would make 2024 the year it starts to sunset the older model.
That said, we shouldn’t get too carried away with eulogizing the Quest 2. It is still in production, and new VR software is still launching for the hardware – and likely will be for a while yet given how popular the gadget has been.
But this price cut is a sign that the headset is on the way out. We’d be surprised if many (or even any) Quest 2s were being made in 2025, and as time goes on the flow of new software will slow to a trickle before stopping completely – we’re seeing the beginning of this already, with new mixed-reality software being produced with the Quest 3 in mind.
So, as enticing as these price cuts are, be aware that the Quest 2’s expiration date is approaching. If you buy one now it’ll likely serve you well for a couple more years; but if you want a gadget that will receive full support for longer – and will deliver far better performance – then the Quest 3 is the Meta headset you want to buy in 2024, even if it is pricier.
If you're using a Meta-made virtual reality headset such as the Meta Quest 3, you might have noticed a disappointing development in the past few days: it seems that the ability to directly send the VR action you're immersed in to a big screen via a Chromecast has been removed.
As reported by Android Central and noted on multiple Reddit threads, the v60 software update for Meta Quest headsets takes away the option to beam the gameplay to a Chromecast dongle connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
While Meta hasn't come out and said anything about this publicly, it has updated the official documentation for its headsets: “Chromecast is not fully supported with Meta Quest” the documentation now reads.
The updated advice is to cast the VR feed from your headset to the Meta Quest app for Android or iOS, and from there to a Chromecast. You can also cast whatever's happening in VR to a computer, through the Meta Quest website.
What's going on?
If you're playing games in VR then of course you don't need to see the action on a TV set – but if you're playing with friends and family then it's really useful to be able to share what's happening on a different display that everyone can see.
Without any official comment from Meta (or indeed Google), we can only speculate about why the feature has been removed. It's possible that the functionality isn't reliable enough, or that Meta wants to funnel people through its own apps.
Even stranger, it seems that secondary accounts on these Meta headsets can still send gameplay directly to a Chromecast, while primary accounts can't, which suggests there's no technical reason for the feature being withdrawn.
If Meta decides to come out and say why it's taken away the ability to connect directly to a Chromecast, we'll let you know. In the meantime, it's now a little bit harder to share your VR gameplay on a connected television set.
That didn't take long: just days after launching a dedicated Copilot app for Android, Microsoft has restored balance to the universe again by making the same app available for those users who prefer iPhones and iPads.
As initially spotted by The Verge, the Copilot app for iOS and iPadOS seems to be an exact replica of the Android one, and is also free to use. The same rules apply: you can use it in a limited fashion without logging in, but signing into a Microsoft account gives you more prompts and more features (like image generation capabilities).
If you do sign in with a Microsoft account, then you can enable the latest and greatest GPT-4 model from Microsoft's partner OpenAI. Responses will generally be slower but better, and bearing in mind that ChatGPT customers have to pay to get the GPT-4 version, this is a pretty good deal from Microsoft.
While it's a notable move from Microsoft to give Copilot its own app, this hasn't come out of nowhere: pretty much all of the functionality here was previously available in the Bing apps for Android and iOS, so little has changed in terms of what you can do.
Copilot everywhere
If you're completely new to generative AI, these tools can produce text and images based on a few user prompts. You can get Copilot to do anything from write a poem about TechRadar to produce an image of a glowing Apple iPhone.
You can also get Copilot to query the web – if you need party game or travel ideas, for example – and have it explain complex topics in simple terms. It's a bit like a supercharged version of Google Assistant or Siri from Apple.
Microsoft is continuing to push forward quickly with upgrades to Copilot, as it knows that the likes of Apple and Google are busy improving their own generative AI tools. It looks inevitable that AI will be one of the hottest tech trends of 2024.
And if you don't want to install Copilot on your phone, you can find it in plenty of other places too. The same features are still available as part of Bing on the web, and Copilot has also now been added to Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Didn't get the VR headset you were hoping to get this Christmas? Or decided you want to start 2024 off right by going on some VR adventures? Well, you're in luck as the Oculus Quest 2 – Meta’s excellent standalone VR device – is $ 50/£50-off right now as part of this year's after-Christmas sales.
This means that you can get the 128GB model for $ 249.99 at Target – instead of $ 299.99 – or, for those of you in the UK, you can get the same Quest 2 version from Currys for £249.99. The same deal is also live at other retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
Unfortunately, these savings aren’t quite as good as the best deals from Black Friday – which also net you cash back or a gift card worth $ 50/£50 – but it’s nevertheless a great saving.
Today's best Oculus Quest 2 deals
Oculus Quest 2 (128GB): was $ 299 now $ 249 at Target Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 was, until recently, our favorite VR headset and right now it’s down to just $ 249.99. That’s a whole $ 50-off. We’ve seen better deals during Black Friday, but this is still a great price. With this gadget, you’ll be able to jump into an incredible selection of VR games and apps available on the Quest platform and finally see how much fun VR can be without breaking the bank.View Deal
Oculus Quest 2 (128GB): was £299.99 now £249.99 at Currys
Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 is currently £50 off at Currys making this an excellent time to buy the VR headset for an even more budget-friendly price. We have seen better deals on this VR gadget before (Very’s best Black Friday deal gave you this saving plus £50 cash back) but this is still a big saving that you might not want to miss out on.View Deal
The Oculus Quest 2 is a solid VR gadget but honestly, I think you should get a Meta Quest 3 instead. Even if it isn't discounted right now.
There are reasons to still go for the Oculus Quest 2. It's a lot cheaper which is excellent for people on a tight budget, for those who aren't sure they'll use VR all that much, or if you're getting the headset for someone who's rough with their toys. But in general the Quest 3 is just better. A lot better.
The graphics are a massive leap forward, the Quest 3's mixed reality is great, and the gadget feels comfier to wear too. You'll even get a free copy of one of the best VR games ever: Asgard's Wrath 2. If you can afford it get the Quest 3 (and use our Quest 3 guide for newbies to get off to a great start).
Meta Quest 3: $ 499 & get a free game at Amazon
The Meta Quest 3 isn’t currently discounted, but you can get a free digital copy of Asgard’s Wrath 2 when you buy the headset before January 27, 2024.
If you’d rather not shop at Amazon the same offer is available from Walmart, Best Buy, and Target as well as others. View Deal
Meta Quest 3: £479.99 & get a free game at Amazon
The Meta Quest 3 only just launched so discounts are practically non-existent. There is still a deal on though; if you order the headset before January 27, 2024, and activate it before February 9, 2024, you’ll get Asgard’s Wrath 2 for free.
If you’d rather shop elsewhere the same deal is available at Very, Currys, and Game among others. View Deal
With the Apple Vision Pro due to go on sale in the coming weeks, we're looking forward to properly testing it – but the rumors and leaks have already started around what Apple might do for a follow-up to the mixed reality headset.
As per market research firm Omdia (via The Elec and MacRumors), the Apple Vision Pro 2 is in line to get displays that are brighter and more efficient than those in the current model. They'll also reportedly be using more advanced micro-OLED technology.
This will apparently be because of a switch to a standard called RGB OLEDoS, which produces light and color directly from its RGB sub-pixels. A color filter is no longer needed, improving the user experience when it comes to the visuals.
Samsung is expected to be the manufacturer making the necessary panels, but you've got some time to save up first – the Apple Vision Pro 2 is said to be launching in 2027, which is further back than some earlier rumors that we've come across.
Keeping the Vision
The Apple Vision Pro hasn't been made available to consumers yet, but it got its grand unveiling back in June. We know pricing will start at a hefty $ 3,499 – that's about £2,755 or AU$ 5,145, though what it'll cost internationally has yet to be confirmed.
TechRadar is one of a select few tech news outlets that has been able to spend some time testing the Apple Vision Pro ahead of it going on sale, and we've been particularly impressed by the 3D spatial video that the headset is capable of displaying.
It's also able to show 2D videos and other digital elements on virtual screens, and you can use it for video conferencing too. It could turn out to be a powerful tool for both productivity and for escapism, but we'll have to wait to review it to know for sure.
Passwords are a pain, let’s be honest – a necessary evil to keep us secure. None of us wants to have to deal with these cumbersome little beasties, but they’re an inescapable part of online life. In the future, things will change – as a new passwordless reality comes to fruition and passkeys evolve. But for now, traditional typed passwords remain prevalent and in need of taming.
There are simple ways to deal with passwords, some of which are terrible. Like having ridiculously simple passwords that are easy to guess. Or ‘remembering’ them by writing them all down in a notepad, where a nosy person might find them and get access to your online accounts, if they’re a nefarious sort.
I don’t do anything like that, of course – perish the very thought – I use mnemonics to help make passwords complex enough, but still memorable, so they don’t have to be jotted down. However, even that’s not an ideal way of dealing with passwords, and so I have some (admittedly dull) new year’s resolutions to vastly improve my relationship with passwords and my overall online security.
Taking the plunge with a password manager
This is the main pillar of my reformed relationship with passwords – yes, getting someone else to do them. Or rather, getting something else to do them in the form of an application.
Password manager software automatically generates passwords for all online accounts without me having to lift a finger. These are incredibly secure passwords, too – lengthy strings of garbage that I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of remembering.
Taking the plunge with a password manager is something that’s been on my computing to-do list for quite some time, and one of those things I simply haven’t got around to doing. Mainly because it seems easier to carry on as I’ve been doing for a long, long time now (I owned a PC before the worldwide web even existed). So, 2024 is the year it’s going to happen, and I’ll relinquish my old system for a more convenient and secure way of dealing with passwords.
Which password manager am I going to run with? After weighing up the pros and cons of the various options out there, I narrowed it down to either Dashlane or NordPass – but in the end, the latter won out. Why? NordPass scored with its wide-ranging support across multiple platforms, regular updates – and plentiful features – not to mention that it represents a great value proposition.
1. Never, ever, use stupidly simple passwords ‘Password’ is not a good password, much like a riot shield is a bit pointless if it’s made out of tissue paper. Choose a complex password with a decent mix of characters, and a mnemonic to remember it (or better still, use a password manager). 2. Don’t reuse passwords Never reuse the same password for multiple online accounts. It may seem tempting to do so for easy recall, but if a hacker or other ne’er-do-well gets hold of that password, obviously they could then access more than one of your services. 3. Don’t keep the same password forever You don’t have to change any given password much, but it’s worth doing so every now and then. Especially if a company you have an account with has a data breach, it’s a good pre-emptive move just to change your password, even before you’ve been told if you’re affected.
Getting a password manager isn’t necessarily bulletproof, of course. What if that company or their systems are somehow breached in some manner? It’s very unlikely that this will happen with a reputable vendor, but it has happened in the past.
At any rate, a robust approach to security doesn’t rely on a single solution, and 2FA (two-factor authentication) is a seriously valuable addition as a second line of defense to back up passwords. This often takes the form of a code texted to your phone, or emailed, after your initial login to an account.
My problem in this department is that I don’t have 2FA enabled on all my online accounts yet. I do have it running on most important services, mind you, but I need to go through my array of various online accounts, check where it’s supported – in theory, on most big sites and services – and implement it, if 2FA isn’t already active.
Much like migrating over to a password manager, this is something I’ve been meaning to do for some time now – and it’s been nagging away at the back of my mind all that time as a task that really needs attending to. In most cases, it'll simply be a case of going into my account > settings > security (or a variation of that process), and turning on two-factor authentication. So, I shall get it done, and tick another niggle off my list of password blues for 2024.
Biometric bonus
While I’m fixing password security issues, my final resolution is to actually use biometrics wherever possible. Until fairly recently, I used a hardware token for logins to my online banking, but have since switched to use the fingerprint sensor on my phone (via the bank’s app). It’s a much more convenient and secure way of logging in, and wherever there’s an option to use a fingerprint login, I’ve resolved to switch to it.
Another point on this subject: while initially I wasn’t convinced about the tech, I now love the Windows Hello login on my Surface Pro tablet – it has got better over time, and works pretty much flawlessly now, even in different lighting conditions.
I’d advise strongly in favor of using facial recognition, fingerprints, or other biometrics wherever you can turn them on, which is usually a case of exploring an app's settings for security options that can enable hardware like fingerprint sensors. None of this is exactly fun, but you'll go into 2024 feeling all the more secure and smug for it.
If you're keen to play around with some generative AI tech on your phone, you now have another option: Microsoft has launched an Android app for its Copilot chatbot, and like Copilot in Windows 11, it's free to use and powered by GPT-4 and DALL-E 3.
As spotted by @techosarusrex (via Neowin), the Copilot for Android app is available now, and appears to have arrived on December 19. It's free to use and you don't even need to sign into your Microsoft account – but if you don't sign in, you are limited in terms of the number of prompts you can input and the length of the answers.
In a sense, this app isn't particularly new, because it just replicates the AI functionality that's already available in Bing for Android. However, it cuts out all the extra Bing features for web search, news, weather, and so on.
There's no word yet on a dedicated Copilot for iOS app, so if you're using an iPhone you're going to have to stick with Bing for iOS for now if you need some AI assistance. For now, Microsoft hasn't said anything officially on its new Android app.
Text and images
The functionality inside the new app is going to be familiar to anyone who has used Copilot or Bing AI anywhere else. Microsoft has been busy adding the AI everywhere, and has recently integrated it into Windows 11 too.
You can ask direct questions like you would with a web search, get complex topics explained in simple terms, have Copilot generate new text on any kind of subject, and much more. The app can work with text, image and voice prompts too.
Based on our testing of the app, it seems you get five questions or searches per day for free if you don't want to sign in. If you do tell Microsoft who you are, that limit is lifted, and signing in also gives you access to image generation capabilities.
With both Apple's Siri and Google Assistant set to get major AI boosts in the near future, Microsoft won't want to be left behind – and the introduction of a separate Copilot app could help position it as a standalone digital assistant that works anywhere.
Let’s face it, almost everyone could use a bit of help saving money these days, with the cost-of-living crisis and various inflationary pressures still kicking around globally, alongside other factors that can make finances a struggle.
I’ve certainly been counting the pennies here and there, but one area where I’ve slacked off is with web browsing. I have, of course, been aware that there are ways to save money using extensions for my chosen web browser – Chrome – but I just haven't got round to doing anything about it, or installing any of those helpful add-ons.
That’s all about to change. Read on to see the extensions that I’m going to enlist in an effort to save me a bit of cash over the course of 2024, in case you might want to follow in my footsteps.
Honey, I shrunk the price tag
Why haven’t I used Chrome extensions to help with online shopping before? It’s a good question, and one that I don’t have a good answer for. ‘Procrastination’ about sums it up, though.
Anyway, for money-saving, the recommendation from my fellow colleagues (TechRadarians, if you will) is that one of the most important extensions that I should make a beeline for is Honey (pun fully intended, in all its awfulness).
What’s Honey? It’s an extension from PayPal that’s essentially an online shopping assistant, so when buying a product in Chrome, Honey will also scour the web for coupons for the best discount. These can then be applied and one way or another, I’m hoping I’ll save a bit of cash. Plus it’s possible to get cashback reward points on top, as a bonus, for those who have a PayPal account in ‘good standing’ (but only with participating retailers).
There will likely only be small savings here and there, but as they say, it all adds up, and over the course of next year I’m hoping to be a noticeably better off by the time the online shopping dust settles.
Camel companion
3 tips for saving money with your Windows PC
1. Power settings
Type ‘power’ in the search box on the taskbar and click on the option for ‘Power and sleep settings.’ In here, you can set your monitor and PC to go to sleep after a short while of not being used, making some power savings on your energy bill. 2. Power settings part deux
While in the ‘Power and sleep’ panel, check out the ‘Additional power settings’ link which allows you to specify more frugal power plans if you really want to cut the running cost of your PC (but remember, doing so will impact performance). 3. Tab taming
One of TechRadar’s best Chrome extensions, Tab Wrangler is great if you’re a tab addict like me. It automatically closes tabs that aren’t being used (but you can easily fire them up again), helping to save a tiny bit of power usage.
The Camelizer is another extension I intend to bag in the new year as a partner to Honey for saving money on my online shopping. It's widely used by the TechRadar team all year round, but particularly during shopping events like Prime Day and Black Friday.
The Chrome add-on is particularly handy for anyone like myself who’s a Prime member and orders regularly from Amazon – because it tracks historical Amazon pricing.
For most Amazon products, the extension serves up a graph of how its pricing has dropped, and risen, over time. That way, I can be sure of whether any item really is at a good price, or if it might be likely to drop a good chunk again (perhaps at the next big sale), so I can wait and save more if that’s a likely prospect. This extension also gives me the ability to have an alert piped through if a product drops to a certain price level – pretty nifty.
If you're in the US, the aforementioned Honey does also have a price tracking feature for Amazon. I live in the UK, though, and Honey won’t track anything but Amazon.com (US) pricing – so myself, and everyone else across the globe, needs an alternative.
The Camelizer extension (and another alternative, Keepa) are built especially for this purpose, and provide more detailed info on price history than Honey (including third-party marketplace listings, and second-hand prices for that matter).
Cashing in with cashback
Lastly, another recommendation given to me by TechRadar's online shopping whizzes has been TopCashback. The savings made with this service – in the form of cashback returns, as you might guess, on purchases – can really add up. I’ve seen the evidence of this, and don’t need any more convincing – moreover, the Chrome extension is a great way to access these benefits.
The idea is simple: a load of companies sign up with TopCashback and when anyone makes purchases from those retailers, TopCashback gives the buyer a certain percentage of cashback on the outlay.
With the normal service, the user needs to go to the TopCashback website and search for the retailer to see if they’ve signed up to the scheme, and what items might apply. It’s all a bit clunky, but the beauty of the Chrome extension is that it automatically checks any site visited and flags available cashback offers on products, which is much more convenient.
To get cashback, all you need to do is click the ‘activate’ prompt that pops up when buying something. This Chrome add-on also flags up some voucher codes as a bonus.
The slight catch with the extension is that not every retailer is supported. But most are, and the convenience aspect is what swings it for me. I don’t really fancy having to constantly navigate to the website to perform pre-purchase searches (and realistically, I’ll probably forget to do so half the time anyway).
I'm also going to risk the temptation of filling up my Chrome toolbar with more extensions than the three that I've mentioned (Honey, The Camelizer and TopCashback). While I'm aware that there are countless others (including Rakuten, Fakespot and more), I'll be starting the year with that golden trio – and if you fancy saving some money in 2024, you should too.
We know the Apple Vision Pro will be available to buy soon, but we don't know when exactly that's going to happen – though a new tip from a well-placed source suggests we've not got all that much longer to wait.
Well-respected Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) suggests that the headset is going to be available to consumers in “late January or early February” of 2024, matching up with Apple's own announcement that it would be available “early next year”.
You're going to have to set aside $ 3,499 for the Apple Vision Pro – which works out as £2,756 or AU$ 5,140 with a straight currency conversion, although Apple is unlikely to set international prices based on the current exchange rates.
Kuo, who is usually a reliable source of Apple information, goes on to say that the Vision Pro is “the most important product” for Apple in 2024 (something we've already emphasized), and that shipments in the next 12 months are expected to hit 500,000 units.
In-store sales
Pretty much every Apple journalist and analyst in the industry has had a go at predicting when the mixed reality headset will be available to buy. Most recently, Bloomberg suggested that late January is indeed when devices will start shipping to consumers.
Besides getting the hardware ready, Apple also wants to see a variety of developers launching apps for the Vision Pro right from the start. That will of course encourage more people to part with the necessary cash for the gadget.
We have seen how spatial video will look on the headset – that's video recorded with 3D elements embedded into it – and it has a real chance of becoming the 'killer app' for the Vision Pro, the main reason why the majority of consumers go ahead and pick one up.
Other leaks have suggested just how Apple is going to sell this expensive piece of hardware in its own stores – and the rumor is that you might have to actually visit a store in order to get your hands on one of the Vision Pro headsets.