December 4, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🖥️ PC bounce back

⭐️ Rare star system

🥽 Vision Pro challenge

🎸 Kiss digital avatar

UP FIRST

PCs to fly off shelves next year, forecast says

Sales of laptops and desktops have sunk since the pandemic highs, but 2024 could be different

New research predicts a surprising surge in interest in the PC in 2024, renewing hopes that another wave of innovation and excitement for the platform is underway.

The report from Canalys forecasts that after seven straight quarters of decline, we’re about to see 5% growth in the final quarter of 2023 and 8% year-over-year growth in 2024 as a whole. That might not sound like a boom exactly, but predictions of a bounce back are certainly promising.

The president of HP is also talking things up, suggesting on CNBC's Mad Money recently that he thinks that the PC market will begin to double its growth next year ...

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Astronomers spot rare star system with six planets in geometric formation

It's 100 years light-years away and is believed to have changed little since its birth more than a billion years ago

Astronomers have discovered a rare star system in which six planets orbit around one star in an elaborate geometrical pattern due to a phenomenon called "orbital resonance."

Using two satellites — one operated by NASA and the other by its European counterpart, ESA — the researchers have built up a picture of the beautiful but complex HD110067 system, located 100 light-years away.

The six planets form what is called a “resonant chain,” where each is in resonance with the planets next to it, and it’s this chain of resonances that makes the system so unusual.

A researcher linked to the discovery said that resonances are not rare, nor are systems with several planets, but what is rare is to find systems where the resonances span such a long chain of six planets ...

ON THE HORIZON

Will the Vision Pro replace the Mac? Why Apple will have to tread carefully

Apple says its headset can perform some of the same tasks as a PC, but it doesn't want you to stop buying its Macs

The Vision Pro headset hits the market next year and is poised to be one of the most significant products Apple has introduced. Indeed, it has the potential to launch a new era of success for the company.

But at the same time, there’s a risk that it could end up cannibalizing the Mac line by giving plenty of people something that could replace their computers altogether.

That means Apple has got to be very careful with how it handles the Vision Pro.

It no doubt wants as many people as possible to buy the headset, but it wants that to happen without sacrificing sales of its other devices. How on earth is it going to do that ...

ENTERTAINMENT

Aging rockers Kiss to let digital avatars tour instead

The four band members have a combined age of 273

Performing their final in-person concert on Saturday night in New York City, Kiss used the encore to unveil digital avatars of themselves that will allow the legendary glam-rock band to stay on the road.

Kiss bandmates Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer have a combined age of 273 — with bassist Simmons the oldest at 74 — so letting avatars take the reins seems like a smart move.

The feat has been made possible through a partnership with George Lucas’s special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, and Pophouse Entertainment Group, co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus.

The two companies worked together to create the ABBA Voyage show, an ongoing residency in London featuring holograms of the iconic Swedish pop foursome knocking out their classic hits from the 70s ...

Digital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.