Technologies
How Apple’s Headset Could Immerse You in Sports
Commentary: Multiscreen view and «umpire view» would be pretty sweet in virtual reality.
Earlier this month, Apple TV 4K owners who watch sports on Apple’s TV service may have noticed a small new feature called multiview as part of TVOS 16.5. As its name suggests, this feature allows users to watch multiple games at once, making it particularly useful for MLS Season Pass subscribers or MLB fans who are trying to keep tabs on multiple matches that Apple is streaming at the same time.
And whereas Apple’s current multiview plans are extremely limited to just its Apple TV 4K boxes running beta software, the feature could be a bit more interesting with Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset that rumors suggest will materialize in June at the company’s annual WWDC.

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Immersing in sports
In a recent report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman detailed a few ways Apple plans to position the forthcoming headset to users. Among apps for FaceTime, gaming and fitness was this:
«One selling point for the headset will be viewing sports in an immersive way. The company already offers games from Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball on Apple TV Plus, but it’s looking to make that a richer experience.» He also notes that Apple purchased NextVR, a company that produces sporting events and concerts in virtual reality, back In 2020.
Although Apple has yet to stream any games in virtual reality, its MLS and MLB deals could give it room to explore adding VR cameras to its productions in the future. Its Apple TV Plus broadcasts of MLB games have already explored new camera angles, including an «ump view» that lets you watch some action live from the perspective of the home plate umpire.
Belli gets us on the board!@Cody_Bellinger pic.twitter.com/Sl8r7VaSLY
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 7, 2023
Some leagues already offer VR games, including the NBA which has offered live VR streams for years. In January, the league announced it was expanding its partnership with Meta for VR streaming of regular season games on the latter’s Horizon Worlds platform.
While most of the NBA games that aired in VR this year were basically giant virtualized versions of the main TV broadcast, the league did do five «immersive 180-degree monoscopic live VR games in 2880 resolution» that allowed fans to virtually sit courtside to watch live basketball on a Meta Quest headset.

The NBA in VR on Meta’s Horizon Worlds.
«We love quoting a stat that 99% of fans will never get to a game,» Teddy Kaplan, the NBA’s new media partner management lead, told CNET, noting that when factoring in international fans and the ability to sit courtside, that number is closer to rounding up to 100% of fans.
«And so we were like, what would be cooler than just setting up a camera courtside and stepping away and letting you experience that courtside seat experience,» he said.
«We want to bring that arena atmosphere to them,» said Paul Massache, the NBA’s associate vice president of broadcasting content management. «Part of that is building this immersive experience. Now to have viewers sit courtside virtually is an experience that really can’t be duplicated. Unless of course, you know, you’re at the game.»
Multiview could be the gateway

Multiview on YouTube TV.
The concept of multiview isn’t unique to Apple. Google’s YouTube TV offered a similar feature for March Madness and plans to include a multiview option for its NFL Sunday Ticket package in the fall. Sony offered a similar capability with its now-discontinued PlayStation Vue live TV streaming service back in 2019, while Fubo has also had the option as a part of its service for years.
But while it remains to be seen how deep down the VR rabbit hole Apple goes with live game production, in the interim it could put multiview into play.
Imagine the Apple TV app on the headset. Whereas multiview on a TV puts up to four games into four windows that are limited in size by your physical screen, with the headset you could have what amounts to four giant virtual screens that provide a sports bar-like experience at home or wherever you put the headset on.
As Apple also is involved in the production of these MLS and MLB games, it could go down a route that combines AR stats and overlays to create an immersive experience similar to what Magic Leap and the NBA once envisioned for that company’s headset.
Apple’s dabbling with sports always felt like it was building to something more than just another piece of content for its streaming ambitions. It’s possible that with the headset’s rumored imminent arrival and the rollout of new features like multiview, we might be starting to finally see that vision beginning to come into focus.
Technologies
Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance
Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.
Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.
The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.
Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.
Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.
Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.
The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»
Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.
Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.
At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.
Technologies
OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report
OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.
OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.
Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.
‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’
Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.
The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.
Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.
This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.
Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.
Technologies
OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift
OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.
Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.
‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.
Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.
‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’
A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.
Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’
On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.
OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.
In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.
Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.
The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’
WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know
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