Apple Will Have High & Low End Mixed Reality Headsets by 2025; Samsung To Add Satellite Connectivity to Bolster 5G; Netflix Cuts Prices in 30 Countries; Valve Bans 40,000 Cheaters

Apple is widely expected to drop their first mixed reality headset late this year…probably showing it at World Wide Developers Conference in June, and coming out around September with the new iPhones. Now, Apple-watching analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says we can expect both a high end and lower priced AR/VR headsets as soon as 2025. The top end one will still be priced at least $3000, but the lower end model will still be a chunk of change…it’s expected to sell for around $1500. The lower priced model will use some less premium components like lower resolution lenses. Macrumors.com reports that Apple expects to sell enough of the lower end model to make it feasible at that price through mass production savings. 

Samsung is working on using satellite connectivity in its phones to allow use in areas without cellular coverage. According to zdnet.com, Samsung has secured “standardized 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) modem technology for direct communication between smartphones and satellites” that it plans to integrate with its Exynos modems. This will not only allow for emergency messages like Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, but Samsung says its Exynos modems will be capable of two-way text messaging as well as high-definition image and video sharing. As with the Apple system and all satellite communications, you will still need a clear line of sight to the sky. Qualcomm just last month announced that it was bringing satellite connectivity to Android phones, While T-Mobile has teamed up with Starlink for connectivity in remote areas. 

As we all know, Netflix hit us with a price increase last year. Now, the streamer is cutting prices in over 30 countries…but not for you, USA…not for you! Engadget.com says Netflix has dropped prices by as much as half in part of the Middle East, including Yemen, Jordan, Libya, and Iran, as well as parts of Africa, Balkan Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Meanwhile, the extra account sharing fee is still rolling out in a number of countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. That extra fee is still expected to hit the US within a couple months. 

Valve has banned over 40,000 accounts that were playing the game Dota 2, after finding them using 3rd party software to cheat the game. Theverge.com reports that Valve has patched the exploit that allowed the cheat. Before doing that, they set up what they termed a ‘honey pot trap’ to nail the cheaters. They dropped in some invisible code that wasn’t used in the game, but could be accessed by the 3rd party software looking for ways to cheat. Valve says this gives them high confidence that all of the accounts banned deserved it. Trying to stop cheats is an ongoing cat and mouse in most game systems, but kicking off 40,000 gamers at once is a pretty large catch. 

I’m Clark Reid, and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.