Finnish startup Varjo launches new ,990 mixed-reality headset to take on Apple, Microsoft

Technology

Finnish startup Varjo launches new $3,990 mixed-reality headset to take on Apple, Microsoft

Published

2 years ago

November 27, 2023

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The XR-4 is a mixed reality headset from Finnish startup Varjo that’s targeted at the enterprise.

Varjo

Finnish mixed-reality startup Varjo on Monday launched its latest headset, the XR-4, a product it hopes to sell to large enterprise firms.

The headset, which starts at a price of $3,990, is similar to those from Meta, Microsoft and Apple. It comes as various major tech companies are betting big on virtual and augmented reality, a space they see serving as the next big shift for technology, with an impact of a similar scale to that of the invention of the internet or the mobile phone.

Unlike consumer offerings from companies such as Meta, Varjo’s headset is intended for enterprise use cases. For example, a pilot working for a major defense contractor could use it to train in a virtual reality simulation. Or, a surveyor could use it to map out the landscape of a big construction site.

The XR-4 headset has two 4K displays and a 50% wider field of view compared with previous-generation devices. It also comes with brighter displays and a wider color palette than earlier devices.

“There’s a few things that are simpler technically in the XR-4,” Varjo’s chief product officer, Patrick Wyatt, told CNBC on a call. “We now have one screen per eye which has pushed the resolution right to the limits of that screen, so taking out some costs that way. But most importantly, it’s just a question about scale.”

The XR-4 also has two 20-megapixel cameras on the front to enable so-called pass-through mixed reality. This is where the user can see the world around them through actual lenses embedded in the headsets, as opposed to being completely immersed in a virtual world. It’s similar to what Meta offers on its headsets and what Apple plans to include on the Vision Pro.

The idea is that users can overlay digital objects in this environment on top of the physical world. CNBC tried out Varjo’s previous headset, the XR-3, in Helsinki in 2022 and its headset enabled the reporter to go into a virtually rendered kitchen and interact with cupboard doors and touch the surface.

The XR-4 also comes with ambient light sensors and improved lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging, a method for determining ranges and surface areas by using 3D laser scanning. This is important to ensure that users can experience both virtual and augmented reality environments when wearing the headset.

The XR-4 also supports built-in 3D spatial audio and has noise-canceling mics and integrated speakers. It has inside-out tracking and Varjo’s own controllers which allow a user to navigate the digital and physical environments.

Earlier this year, U.S. tech giants Apple and Meta announced mixed-reality headsets. Meta launched the Quest 3 in June. Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset is expected to launch next year.

Varjo has raised a total of more than $160 million of funding from investors including Apple supplier Foxconn, private equity firm EQT, autos giant Volvo and venture capital firm Atomico. The company did not disclose its valuation at the time of its last round when it raised $40 million from investors.

Technology

Airbnb beats on top and bottom lines for second quarter

Published

2 hours ago

August 6, 2025

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Airbnb beats on top and bottom lines for second quarter

Cheng Xin | Getty Images

Airbnb reported second-quarter results on Wednesday that beat analysts’ expectations.

Here’s how the company did based on average analysts’ estimates compiled by LSEG:

Earnings per share: $1.03 vs. 93 cents expected
Revenue: $3.10 billion vs. $3.04 billion expected

Revenue increased 13% from $2.75 billion during the same period last year. The company reported net income of $642 million, or $1.03 per share, up from $555 million, or 86 cents per share, a year earlier.

In the third quarter, Airbnb expects to report revenue of $4.02 billion to $4.10 billion, or $4.06 billion in the middle of the range. Analysts were expecting $4.05 billion for the period, according to LSEG.

In a letter to shareholders, the company said it had a strong second quarter, even against a volatile macroeconomic backdrop. U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff and trade policies plunged markets into chaos for much of April.

“Despite global economic uncertainty early in the quarter, travel demand picked up, and nights booked on Airbnb accelerated from April to July,” the company said.

Airbnb reported 134.4 million nights and seats booked, up 7% from a year ago and above the 133.35 million expected by StreetAccount.

Gross booking value, which Airbnb uses to report host earnings, service fees, cleaning fees and taxes, totaled $23.5 billion in the second quarter. That figure is above the $22.66 billion expected by analysts polled by StreetAccount.

Airbnb said it received authorization for new share repurchase program of up to an additional $6 billion of Class A common stock. The company said it repurchased $1 billion of Class A common stock during the second quarter, and previously had authorization to purchase $1.5 billion more as of June 30.

Airbnb shares were down slightly in extended trading. They’ve slipped 0.7% for the year as of Wednesday’s close, while the Nasdaq is up almost 10%.

Airbnb will hold its quarterly call with investors at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Technology

DoorDash shares rise on earnings, revenue beat

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2 hours ago

August 6, 2025

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DoorDash shares rise on earnings, revenue beat

Doordash food delivery service in New York City on Feb. 13, 2025.

Danielle DeVries | CNBC

DoorDash shares climbed about 5% in extended trading on Wednesday after the food delivery company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the second quarter.

Here’s how the company did compared to analyst estimates based on LSEG’s consensus:

Earnings per share: 65 cents vs. 44 cents expected
Revenue: $3.28 billion vs. $3.16 billion expected

Revenue jumped 25% from $2.63 billion a year earlier, DoorDash said in a press release. The company reported net income of $285 million, or 65 cents a share, after recording a loss of $157 million, or 38 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Orders increased 20% from a year earlier to 761 million. Gross order value (GOV) rose 23% to $24.2 billion.

DoorDash shares have soared 54% this year as of Wednesday’s close, lifting the company’s market cap to $109 billion. The Nasdaq is up almost 10% in 2025.

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Doordash one day stock chart.

Delivery and rideshare stocks have strong demand and growth, says Bernstein's Nikhil Devnani

Technology

Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi unit clears regulatory hurdle, safety probe

Published

3 hours ago

August 6, 2025

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Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi unit is ramping up vehicle production at a new facility in Hayward, California.

Zoox

Amazon‘s Zoox has cleared a key regulatory hurdle, paving the way for demonstrations of its self-driving robotaxis.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday that it granted Zoox an exemption from some requirements, a first for U.S.-built vehicles under a recently expanded program.

“Transportation innovators can be confident in getting speedy review of their vehicles and, as appropriate, exemption from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a release.

The company must remove all existing statements that its purpose-built vehicles meet all federal motor vehicle safety standards.

As part of the announcement, NHTSA said it’s closing a probe opened in March 2023 into Zoox’s self-certification that its robotaxi met federal safety standards.

“Through this new exemption process, we are excited to embark on this new path, put these discussions behind us, and move forward,” Zoox said in a statement.

The Department of Transportation in April announced it would expand a program that aims to speed up the autonomous vehicle exemption process to include domestically produced vehicles. Previously, it was limited to imported AVs.