Three of the world’s biggest tech companies were showing off new products in the past week. Here’s an update on new laptops, tablets, mobile phones, watches, and VR headsets.

Microsoft’s updating the Surface devices and introducing new accessories

Microsoft brought out the first Surface tablet ten years ago, and the company has continued to iterate on the concept ever since.

The new Surface Pro 9 (starting at $1,410) provides a choice in processing chip. Select the 12th generation Intel Core for multitasking and desktop productivity, or Microsoft’s SQ3 processor for 5G mobile connectivity and battery life that extends to 19 hours. It’s still a leading convertible device with a 13-inch touch display.

But Microsoft has expanded the Surface category to include true laptops and desktops, and the new models of those are the Surface Laptop 5 (starting at $1,450) and the Surface Studio 2+ (starting at $5,960).

All of the new Surface devices are available to preorder now and will be shipping on October 25.

Microsoft also revealed an audio dock and presentation remote, two devices that are built for the modern workplace.

The remote can be used to interact with the Teams system whether you’re presenting or not, and the audio dock provides a speaker and microphone in a compact package.

And finally, people in the Apple ecosystem will be happy to know that you’ll be able to access your iCloud photos on your Windows 11 system. The Apple TV app and Apple Music are now on Xbox consoles, and will be coming to Windows 11 next year.

Google’s new Pixel phones are priced to sell

Late last week, Google held a briefing to detail the Pixel 7 handsets and reveal the Pixel Watch.

And given how the Pixel 7 devices are priced, Google wants these things to sell. They are on shelves as of Thursday.

The Pixel 7 is listing at $799 (128 GB) and $929 (256 GB) with the Pixel 7 Pro at $1,179 (128 GB), $1,309 (256

Compare that to the starting prices for Apple’s new handsets: $1,099 for iPhone 14 and $1,549 for iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are built using Google’s Tensor G2 processor and can be unlocked with a fingerprint reader or using facial recognition.

The former has a 6.3-inch display, the latter a 6.7-inch display, with the same camera bar that was introduced in the Pixel 6.

The camera functions are even better, supported by software that helps to get close, shoot from far away, and stabilize your videos.

The Pixel Watch, meanwhile, is the first Google watch to come out of its Fitbit acquisition. It comes in two models, a cellular version for $530 and a Wi-Fi version for $450.

It’s designed to work seamlessly with the Pixel handsets, of course, and connects to Pixel Buds earphones without any effort from you.

The rounded face reminds me of the original Swatch watches, and it’s got software that can track your body functioning and activity as well as letting you access your Gmail, your YouTube Music, and even your Google Home devices.

Meta wants the metaverse to be for more than gaming

The new virtual reality headset from Meta is the Quest Pro, and it’s going to cost $2,300 when it releases on October 25.

The new kit is self contained, so it requires no computer to work, and it’s built with cameras that are like those in motion capture rigs, designed to capture facial details and expressions in finite detail.

Along with the headset are new controllers that provide force feedback and which are equipped with sensors that track where the controllers are in three-dimensions, which helps with tracking not just of your hands but also of your body.

The real sell from Mark Zuckerberg, though, was to establish the Quest Pro as a business system, and to that end he was able to share news of partnerships with the likes of Microsoft, which will be bringing Teams and Microsoft 365 to the Quest Pro to enable virtual meetings within the metaverse.

To be honest, that feels like a difficult sell, despite the appearance of Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Accenture chief executive Julie Sweet on the Mega Connect event.

The easier sell is the appearance of Xbox Cloud Gaming on the system, which would allow gamers to play Xbox games on a virtual screen in the virtual world.

That experience is coming in the future, but Marvel’s Iron Man VR, which was a PlayStation VR exclusive in 2020, will be coming to the Quest systems (both the 2 and the Pro) and Meta has acquired Camouflaj, the studio behind the game, as well as Armature, which created the Resident Evil 4 VR port.