While Apple is encouraging developers to write software for the Vision Pro AR headset, there are some types of applications it doesn’t want. (via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 include a new Screen Distance feature that can alert you when you hold an iPhone or iPad too close to your eyes for an extended period. Apple says the opt-in feature is designed to help lower the risk of nearsightedness in children by encouraging healthy viewing habits, and can help reduce eye strain overall. Screen Distance can be turned on in the Settings app under Screen Time → Screen Distance, and is available on all iPhone and iPad Pro models with Face ID. The feature uses the same TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to measure the distance between the screen and your eyes, and a full-screen alert prompts users to move their device farther…

British mobile phone operators Vodafone and Three UK have agreed a deal to merge their UK-based operations, which if approved by regulators will make it the biggest mobile network in the country. Currently the biggest players in the UK mobile market are Virgin Media O2, with around 24 million customers, and EE, which has 20 million users. Vodafone and Three UK are the third and fourth largest mobile firms, but the merger will give them around 27 million customers, taking their combined market share past Virgin Media O2's. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will now examine the merger, specifically to look at whether it will push up customer prices. Vodafone and Three claimed the deal will be "great for…

Image: Apple Apple’s developers already have the tools they need to create apps for the system. Apple used the Vision Pro’s $3,499 price tag to give the headset every advantage over the competition. It has dual 4K displays, runs one of the best laptop chips in the business, and comes with sophisticated eye- and hand-tracking technologies. But it also has one advantage money can’t buy: Apple’s developer ecosystem. Perhaps the headset’s single biggest advantage will be the ability for iPhone and iPad developers to easily plug their existing apps into the device’s operating system using familiar tools and frameworks. Already, the system stands in stark contrast to headsets from Meta, Valve, PlayStation, and HTC, which mostly rely on apps and…

Image: Apple Apple’s developers already have the tools they need to create apps for the system. Apple used the Vision Pro’s $3,499 price tag to give the headset every advantage over the competition. It has dual 4K displays, runs one of the best laptop chips in the business, and comes with sophisticated eye- and hand-tracking technologies. But it also has one advantage money can’t buy: Apple’s developer ecosystem. Perhaps the headset’s single biggest advantage will be the ability for iPhone and iPad developers to easily plug their existing apps into the device’s operating system using familiar tools and frameworks. Already, the system stands in stark contrast to headsets from Meta, Valve, PlayStation, and HTC, which mostly rely on apps and…

Macworld Apple’s announcement of the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023 on Monday was an impressive affair in many ways, from the slick design and obvious tech chops of the device itself to the high production values of the video showing them off. But the best performance of the night may have been the presenters’ intricate dance to avoid the ghosts of past failures. Because, as usual, Apple is not the first to this market. (At least in the broad sense. Vision Pro is breaking new ground in terms of some specifics.) Google tried to make augmented reality a thing back in 2013 and finally gave up on its Glass project earlier this year. Facebook is desperately trying to…