Tag: pricier
The Aya Neo Air Plus Is A Powerful, Smaller, And Pricier Steam Deck Alternative
If you follow the portable gaming PC scene at all, you’ve probably heard of Aya Neo. The Chinese manufacturer has quietly made a name for itself since 2021 with high-performing handheld Windows PCs. In that short window, Aya Neo has released a bunch of different handhelds (with several more on the way), which could be considered both a good and bad thing. On the negative side, it means that customers who buy an Aya Neo may feel like their handheld is outdated in a few months. But on the positive side, Aya Neo’s handhelds just keep getting better. The latest example of this is the Aya Neo Air Plus, which takes the impressive internals of the flagship Aya Neo 2 and squeezes them into a compact form factor. The Aya Neo Air Plus is a superb machine with great performance and a premium build that feels and looks fantastic.
As with all other Aya Neo models, the Air Plus comes in several configurations that vary widely in price and specs. Prices range from $600 to $1,400, and there are three different colors to choose from: Glacier Blue, Starlight Black, and Classic Gray. On the low end of the scale, you’re getting an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor or an Intel Alder Lake i3 1215U. To get the type of performance you’re probably looking for, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U configuration is the marquee Air Plus. Though I didn’t test the lower-end models, their specs suggest they wouldn’t perform favorably compared to the Steam Deck despite costing more. The Ryzen 7 6800U units start at $980 and can outperform the Steam Deck. I tested the model with the 6800U, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. If you really want to go all out, the Air Plus tops out at 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. That said, the Air Plus has a microSD card slot to expand your storage, which I found to be a convenient way to increase the storage space while maintaining solid performance.
The Air Plus falls between the Aya Neo 2 and last year’s Air/Air Pro with its size and form factor. It’s larger than the original Air models and has a 6-inch touchscreen display instead of the 5.5-inch, but it’s noticeably smaller than Aya Neo’s 7-inch handhelds. And placing the Air Plus next to the Steam Deck makes the latter appear comically large and clunky. Fortunately, the compact size doesn’t stop the Air Plus from being ergonomically friendly: It feels natural to hold, and the rounded back handles keep the experience comfy for hours.
Airbnb refocuses on cheap rooms as its rentals get pricier
The pandemic is over, according to Airbnb (that’s debatable), so the company is gearing up for a massive summer of vacationing. It’s introducing over 50 new features to its rental platform, including an expansion of the more transparent pricing it unveiled last year. Most importantly, though, it’s refocusing on the pitch that made the company a success: Being able to easily rent low-cost rooms. It’s relaunching that experience as “Airbnb Rooms,” which will make it easier to find private rooms, as well as offer more details up-front to potential renters.
A new “Host Passport” feature will help you get to know hosts before booking, a useful feature since you’ll most likely be sharing their living space. Listings can also show if a bedroom has its own lock, and if the bathrooms are private or shared with the host. “Airbnb Rooms are often more affordable than hotels, and they’re the most authentic way to experience a city,” Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement. “This is the soul of Airbnb.”
The company says it’ll have over a million Airbnb Rooms listings, and that more than 80 percent of them will cost under $100 a night. Given how much Airbnb prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, as hosts pumped up cleaning costs and built mini-rental empires, it makes sense for the company to highlight its more affordable offerings. For many travelers, including this reporter, hotels often seem cheaper and easier to book than many Airbnb options.
As for other upgrades, Airbnb will also let you view checkout instructions before completing a booking (which could be a useful red flag for potential nightmare hosts), it’s improved map performance and revamped wishlists completely (including the ability to write notes). The company is also reducing service fees for stays longer than three months, as well as for stays longer than a month if you pay with a linked bank account. Not surprisingly, Airbnb is also getting into the pay over time game with a new partnership with Klarna.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/airbnb-refocuses-on-cheap-rooms-as-its-rentals-get-pricier-192901723.html?src=rss
2024 OLED iPad Pros Set to Be a Lot Pricier Due to Costly Panel Production Process
Apple is next year widely expected to launch new 11.1-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models featuring OLED instead of LCD displays, and its panel procurement will account for the largest proportion of material costs, according to Korean-language website The Elec.
Apple is currently believed to be in discussion with Samsung and LG Display about the price of supplying the panels, the specifications for which will require the use of production processes that have not been combined before for OLED panels of the required size.
One of the new production processes is the use of a two-stack tandem structure, which has two emission layers, thus doubling brightness and quadrupling OLED display lifespan. All of Apple’s iPhones use a single-stack structure, and Apple’s rationale for requiring two-stack panels for iPads is that tablets tend to be used for longer periods.
Another process is the use of low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin film transistors (TFT), for a more power efficient backplane that is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off, and lastly, a hybrid OLED structure that combines rigid OLED glass substrates with flexible OLED thin-film encapsulation, resulting in an overall thinner panel.
According to The Elec, the supply price of OLED panels for existing 10-inch devices is around $100 to $150, whereas the outlay for the processes involved in making Apple’s required 11.1-inch and 13-inch panels is closer to $270 and $350, respectively.
As the report notes, Apple will likely pass on at least some of these material costs to the consumer, which will be reflected in significantly higher retail prices. Currently, the 11-inch iPad Pro with LED Liquid Retina display starts at $799, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display starts at $1,099.
Today’s report adds that LG Display is developing both 11.1-inch and 13-inch iPad OLED panels, whereas Samsung is developing only for the 11.1-inch model, although Samsung may end up developing both types depending on production requirements.
In related developments, Samsung has reportedly decided to invest in eighth-generation OLED production lines, which should “theoretically” result in lower-costing panels compared to those made on the sixth-generation line. The OLED iPad Pro panels coming out next year are to be made using the sixth-generation line, but the panels for Apple’s future OLED MacBooks are likely to be made by the eighth-generation line.
This article, “2024 OLED iPad Pros Set to Be a Lot Pricier Due to Costly Panel Production Process” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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iOS gains new emoji, Showtime joins a pricier Paramount+, and Instagram launches Channels
Hey, TechCrunch besties. After a week in Korea and the Philippines, it’s great to be back in the States — and slightly more tan (i.e., burnt) than before. Massive thanks to Henry, who was forced to step in over the past two weeks thanks to my failing to realize that Korean Air does not offer […]
iOS gains new emoji, Showtime joins a pricier Paramount+, and Instagram launches Channels by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch
Apple may be working on a pricier iPhone ‘Ultra’
Next year could see the introduction of a new flagship iPhone. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering whether to release a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” that would slot in above the iPhone Pro and Pro Max. He says the device could arrive as early next year.
If you’ve been following Gurman’s writing for a while, you may recall he previously reported Apple was considering whether to rebrand the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Ultra. Now, he says there’s evidence to suggest Apple wants to instead offer a more powerful and expensive iPhone to well-heeled consumers. Specifically, Gurman points to a recent comment made by Apple CEO Tim Cook. “The iPhone has become so integral [to] people’s lives,” Cook told analysts when he was asked if the increasing average price of the iPhone was sustainable. “I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.”
How Apple will differentiate the new model is harder to say. Gurman suggests the iPhone Ultra could feature a faster processor, better camera hardware than the Pro and Pro Max and an even larger display. “There also may be more future-forward features, such as finally dropping the charging port,” he adds.
It’s worth noting reports on the iPhone 15 line suggest Apple is already searching for more ways to differentiate the Pro models from their mainstream siblings. For example, one recent report said the upcoming Pro variants could feature WiFi 6E connectivity, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus ship with older WiFi 6 antennae. The Pro models could come with other differentiating features, including redesigned titanium frames with haptic volume and power buttons. Apple will also reportedly equip the Pro Max with a periscope camera lens.
Apple could introduce a pricier iPhone ‘Ultra’ in 2024
Apple’s exploring the possibility of launching a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” above the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, according to Apple tracker Mark Gurman. The high-end device could arrive as soon as 2024 with the iPhone 16 lineup.
Last September, Gurman predicted that an “Ultra” model could replace the Pro Max branding with this year’s iPhone 15, but his latest theory suggests that Apple wants to establish a more powerful — and more expensive — tier of iPhones. That means the device could have an even higher price tag than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.
During Apple’s earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t rule out the possibility of a future price increase on iPhones. He instead indicated that customers…