Meta, Physical: Links

Here are a few links on the current state of play in the evolution towards spatial computing:

• This is Meta’s AR / VR hardware roadmap for the next four years: During an internal presentation, Meta execs laid out plans for three new Quest headsets, AR glasses in 2027, and a ‘neural interface’ smartwatch. (The Verge)

• Meta announces big price cuts for its VR headsets: Meta announced a dramatic price drop for its higher-end virtual reality headset, the Quest Pro. Both the Quest Pro and Quest 2 will see price cuts, dropping by $500 for the Quest Pro and $70 for the Quest 2. (CNBC)

• I don’t think Meta knows it’s a game company: Meta seems very committed to making hardware to usher in a whole new world and racing away from the games that drive its VR business. (The Verge)

• Tim Cook bets on Apple’s mixed-reality headset to secure his legacy: The stakes are high for Cook. The headset will be Apple’s first new computing platform to have been developed entirely under his leadership. The iPhone, iPad and even Watch were all originally conceived under Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011. (Financial Times)

• The full saga of Apple’s troubled mixed reality headset has been revealed: A series of reports paint a detailed picture of politics and problems facing Apple's plan to develop a virtual, augmented, or mixed reality headset since the initiative picked up steam back in 2015. It's a complicated tale of processors, base stations, politics, and Jony Ive. (Arstechnica)

Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash

One Small Step for the Web… Tim Berners-Lee launches Solid

Tim Berners- Lee, inventor of the Web, launches Solid via Medium post:

I’ve always believed the web is for everyone. That’s why I and others fight fiercely to protect it. The changes we’ve managed to bring have created a better and more connected world. But for all the good we’ve achieved, the web has evolved into an engine of inequity and division; swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas.

Today, I believe we’ve reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible — and necessary.

This is why I have, over recent years, been working with a few people at MIT and elsewhere to develop Solid, an open-source project to restore the power and agency of individuals on the web.

Solid changes the current model where users have to hand over personal data to digital giants in exchange for perceived value. As we’ve all discovered, this hasn’t been in our best interests. Solid is how we evolve the web in order to restore balance — by giving every one of us complete control over data, personal or not, in a revolutionary way.

Solid is a platform, built using the existing web. It gives every user a choice about where data is stored, which specific people and groups can access select elements, and which apps you use. It allows you, your family and colleagues, to link and share data with anyone. It allows people to look at the same data with different apps at the same time.

Solid unleashes incredible opportunities for creativity, problem-solving and commerce. It will empower individuals, developers and businesses with entirely new ways to conceive, build and find innovative, trusted and beneficial applications and services. I see multiple market possibilities, including Solid apps and Solid data storage.

3 Minutes Of Branding Advice By Brian Collins

Master Designer Brian Collins shares the 3 things you need to know about branding: Familiarity, Surprise and Context.

Netflix's Todd Yellin: Create a Culture of Iconoclasts

As VP of Product for Netflix and self-proclaimed “enabler of iconoclasts”, Todd Yellin leads the team that helps millions of people find something great to watch. In this 99u talk, Yellin explains his unique approach to leadership, which includes:

• Why leaders should never say never
• How to empower your team to make decisions (and mistakes)
• Why a simple hand-raise is fundamental to the diversity of voices and ideas at Netflix
• Plus, what we can learn from Titus Andromedon, Michael Scott, and Paul Blart Mall Cop

How much is 'smarter' worth?

Seth Godin: 

Smarter about the process, about the effects, about planning. Smarter about leadership, about management, about measurement.

How much is smarter worth?

In my experience, smarter is almost always a bargain, something you can buy for a lot less than it's worth.