Sony’s CES 2022 conference was certainly surprising . Everyday devices like TVs, headphones and the likes were largely overlooked so that the company could focus on more attention-grabbing announcements: PSVR 2 and its Sense controllers, Tom Holland interviewed about the Uncharted movie , and Sony even setting up its own electric car company, Sony Mobility.
Sony has been testing a prototype electric vehicle, the Vision-S , “on public roads” over the past year, and Sony seems to be confident enough to have set up its own company to pursue car development and production further.
A blog post from Sony states that "In order to further accelerate and make new proposals that further evolve the mobility experience, Sony will establish an operating company 'Sony Mobility Inc.' in the spring of 2022, through which the company intends to explore entry into the EV market."
The new Vision-S 02 model is being considered for a future commercial release. It's an all-electric SUV. It’s a seven-seater and includes a host of advanced sensors and safety systems, including the environment-mapping lidar sensors used in autonomous vehicles as well as modern iPhones.
What’s interesting is that Sony chairman Kenichiro Yoshida described mobility as an "entertainment space", which makes Sony’s interest in the space a bit clearer. The manufacturer is probably most famous for its range of games consoles – most recently the Sony PS5 .
The Vision-S boasts 360-degree audio, and rear-seat displays as well as a “front panoramic screen” to entertain passengers (or drivers, when you’re parked).
You can even “play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home, in addition to the ability to play streaming games through the cloud” – which could improve on the suite of games available to play in Tesla cars (Cuphead, Stardew Valley, Fallout Shelter, alongside others).
Don’t expect any Vision vehicles to come with a built-in PS5 , then – there probably aren’t enough of them to go around – but Sony’s knowledge of entertainment systems from consoles to TVs and audio equipment is clearly shaping the overall experience of the Vision-S.
Look ma, no hands!
Electric vehicles are clearly a growth industry, with automaker Tesla weathering its own volatile share price to triple in stock value over the past two years. With Apple likely set to release its own autonomous electric vehicle (the Apple Car ) in the years ahead, too, it makes sense that other big players want to get a look-in.
As reported by Reuters , Sony’s share price jumped by 4.2% in Tokyo after the announcement, too – so it’s clear there’s some interest in Sony expanding its operations in this way.
But the real white whale for the car industry is fully autonomous vehicles, able to ferry passengers around safely without a driver's hands being required by law to be on the wheel.
It’s been a thorny topic in the media, though, given that drivers using Tesla’s limited autopilot functionality – likely to give someone a false sense of security – have still been involved in crashes . Uber, too, has had to halt its own self-driving car trials after high-profile collisions with pedestrians in the US .
Sony is working on “remote operation” using the benefits of high-speed data transfer over 5G, and says it is developing the Vision-S range “in anticipation of the arrival of the autonomous driving era.”
We welcome Sony entering the market – more competition can only be a good thing – though there will be plenty of potholes to avoid and obstacles to overcome before autonomous cars become truly safe and viable. In the meantime, you may be able to park your Vision-S car and play some Horizon Forbidden West in the near future.
iPhone Fold is apparently delayed, so it won’t be worrying the Galaxy Z Fold 5
While there’s talk that the iPhone 14 range will include big design changes, Apple likely has even bigger changes planned after that, with a foldable phone which we’re referring to as the iPhone Fold reportedly in the works.
But while reports had suggested this could land in 2023 to challenge the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, it’s now apparently been delayed until at least 2025.
That’s according to a report published by Display Supply Chain Consultants – a company run by Ross Young, who has an excellent track record for information on unreleased phones.
According to the report, Apple "does not appear to be in a hurry to enter the foldable smartphone market, and it may even take longer than [2025]." So we could be waiting years for an iPhone Fold, potentially leaving the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range with little in the way of competition.
That said, Apple does appear serious about foldables, with the same report suggesting the company also has a foldable MacBook planned, but that’s also reportedly years away.
So as usual Apple is taking its time, and not jumping on board with a technology just because it’s new and trendy. This will probably allow it to launch a highly polished iPhone Fold on day one, unlike Samsung, which had teething issue with its foldables, and is arguably still perfecting them now.
Analysis: a potentially short-lived product
While Apple probably will launch a foldable iPhone, this might not be a product category that the company continues year after year for a long time as it has with conventional iPhones.
That’s because Ming-Chi Kuo (a respected analyst with a good track record for Apple information) believes that the company will look to replace the iPhone with augmented reality devices like the Apple Glasses within ten years.
He made this claim in late 2021 , so if his prediction is right then conventional Apple smartphones might be a thing of the past by 2031, and if the iPhone Fold doesn’t launch until 2025 or later, then it might only last a handful of generations.
Then again, predictions that far ahead are always going to be iffy, and even if AR glasses become Apple’s main product, that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t still be a market for smartphones too.
Via Apple Insider
Obi-Wan release date has been revealed – so where's the trailer?
Finally, after months of speculation and fan frustration, it's official: the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show has a concrete release date.
Announced on social media on Wednesday (February 9), Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed that the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series would land on Disney Plus on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
The release date reveal was accompanied by a wonderful looking poster, which shows Obi-Wan striding across the sand dunes of Tatooine, the legendary Star Wars planet. Take a look at the one sheet below:
Interestingly, then, Obi-Wan's launch date won't coincide with Star Wars Day – aka the annual day of celebration for all things Star Wars, which takes place on May 4. Nor will it arrive earlier in May, as we predicted in our Obi-Wan release date piece . Instead, it'll be released 45 years to the day that Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope landed in theaters in the US, which is a cool little tribute in itself.
In a press release, Disney and Lucasfilm reaffirmed where the TV series would sit on the main Star Wars timeline.
The show, which will see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the legendary Jedi, is set a decade after Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith. The six-part series will follow Obi-Wan as he continues to struggle with his greatest defeat – the destruction of the Jedi Order and his inability to save former Padawan Anakin Skywalker, who has turned to the Dark Side and assumed the iconic role of Darth Vader.
McGregor reunites with Hayden Christensen, who will reprise his role as the Sith Lord from the prequel trilogy. Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani, Game of Thrones actress Indira Varma, Bright star Joel Edgerton, and Revenge of the Sith's Bonnie Piesse are also among the show's supporting cast.
For more Star Wars content, read up on why it's time for Lucasfilm's sci-fi franchise to move away from desert planets like Tatooine . And, while you're here, check out our Book of Boba Fett season finale coverage, including what its post-credits scene means for the future of the Star Wars universe .
Analysis: Forever Obi-Wan-ting a trailer
While it's a relief to finally learn when Obi-Wan's TV show will debut on Disney Plus, there's still one major thing we're waiting on: a trailer.
So, where is it? Well, it's likely that Disney and Lucasfilm have held it back for a bit so The Book of Boba Fett can enjoy its final moments in the sun. The latest Star Wars TV show only ended on February 9, so it deserves to be in the spotlight for a little longer.
That said, it's odd that Obi-Wan's release date and official poster would be revealed if Lucasfilm and Disney weren't planning on releasing a teaser some time soon. And it just so happens that there's a little thing called the Super Bowl, where studios show off new trailers and TV spots for their upcoming movies and TV series, taking place on Sunday, February 13.
Could we get our first proper look at the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series during Super Bowl LVI's half-time show? It's possible. The hype surrounding The Book of Boba Fett will have died down by then, and Star Wars fans will be eager to see the first footage from Obi-Wan's show.
Fans on numerous Star Wars-related Reddit pages believe that a trailer will be debuted during the Super Bowl – and we're inclined to agree. With so many eyes glues to TV screens across the US (and the globe), it's the perfect time to show off the series' first teaser.
We're only three and a half months out from Obi-Wan's first episode, too, so we need to see something soon to whet our appetite. Give us a first look at the Star Wars series, alongside an official trailer for Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show , and sci-fi and fantasy fans will be dining hard come Sunday night.
We've reached out to Disney for comment on when the Obi-Wan teaser trailer may be released, and we'll update this article if we hear back.