Apple's Vision Pro mixed-reality headset is scheduled to be on UAE shelves on November 15, nine months after it was released in the US, as the tech giant seeks to expand the reach of its spatial computing technology.
The much-hyped device, which is the California company's first major hardware release since the Apple Watch in 2015, will start from Dh13,999 in the Emirates, Apple said on Thursday. It will begin accepting orders on November 4.
It means the UAE will become one of the few markets where the Vision Pro is available. Outside the US, only a select set of markets in Europe and Asia have the device officially on Apple's retail channels.
Apple said that interest in spatial computing is rising, “with more than half of the Fortune 100 companies having purchased Apple Vision Pro to develop innovative solutions”.
Reviews for the Vision Pro have been largely positive, mainly for its build quality, software and intuitiveness, despite its price tag.
Apple unveiled the Vision Pro at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference, with chief executive Tim Cook touting it as a new era of spatial computing.
Spatial computing involves the digitisation of interactions between machines, people, objects and their surrounding environments, enabling and enhancing actions and engagements.
The device is controlled by the user’s eyes, hands and voice, and is intended to blend digital content with the physical world while using spatial experiences in the visionOS platform.
Apple said that Vision Pro is “unlocking new opportunities for healthcare professionals and medical institutions in areas such as clinical education, surgical planning, medical imaging and behavioural health”.
The global mixed reality market is projected to be worth $158 billion by 2033, up from an estimated $4 billion in 2023 and growing at a compound annual rate of nearly 45 per cent, according to data from research firm Spherical Insights.
The announcement of the Vision Pro's availability in the UAE caps off a busy few months for the world's most valuable company.
Apple introduced the iPhone 16 line-up in September, alongside refreshed AirPods and Apple Watches. This week, it announced a flurry of Mac computers, including updates to the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro, all of which now run on the company's latest M4 chip.
An overarching theme for the company's new devices is Apple Intelligence, its much-anticipated generative AI platform. Apple started making the service available to its devices this week, albeit initially with limited features, with a second wave slated for December.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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