Oculus Rift Costs $599, Sold Out Through May | Crunch Report

TL;DR

Oculus Rift is priced at $599, Facebook is testing Chat bots for Messenger, and Netflix expanded to 130 new countries.

Transcript

Want an Oculus Rift? Too bad it's sold out! Facebook is testing secret Chat bots, Netflix just exploded into 130 new countries, and we're live from CES 2016! It's Wednesday January 6th and this is Crunch Report. Remember two days ago, when we didn't know how much the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset price would be? Well it's a brand-new world an... Read More

Key Insights

• 🍿 Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is priced at $599 and has limited availability, but additional "Oculus Ready" PC bundles will be available for purchase.
• 👻 Facebook is following the success of WeChat and Line by testing Chat bots in Messenger, allowing for shopping and travel bookings through text messages.
• 🥳 Apple's App Store broke records during the holiday season, with New Year's Day 2016 being the biggest day in history.
• 😀 Flurry reports that mobile app growth in 2015 came mostly from existing users, with games declining but other categories seeing significant growth.
• 💗 Time spent on phablets (large-screen smartphones) grew significantly and may become the top form factor by October.
• 😨 Volkswagen unveils two connected and all-electric concept cars, the Budd-e microbus and e-Golf Touch, at CES.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much does the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset cost?

The Oculus Rift is priced at $599, but shipping is limited to 20 countries and availability is currently sold out until May.

Q: What is Facebook currently testing?

Facebook is testing an unannounced Chat SDK for developers to build "bots" in Messenger, allowing users to send text messages and receive information, images, and even make purchases.

Q: What is the App Store's biggest day in history?

New Year's Day 2016 became the App Store's biggest day, with over $1.1 billion spent on apps and in-app purchases.

Q: Which countries did Netflix expand its service to?

Netflix expanded its service to 130 new countries, including India, Russia, and Indonesia, but does not include China.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is priced at $599, with limited availability and shipping to 20 countries.

• Facebook is testing an unannounced Chat SDK for developers to build "bots" in Messenger.

• Apple announces a record-breaking holiday season for its App Store, with over $1.1 billion spent on apps and in-app purchases.

• Netflix expands its service to 130 new countries, excluding China, with a total of 70 million customers worldwide.