The Vergecast

Well, it's been a couple of days, and David and Nilay have some more information — and a bunch of new questions — about the Apple HomeView. They also talk about the latest Gemini model, and whether building the best model matters if you can't build the best products around them. They then debate the merits of returning to X, why none of the supposed Twitter replacements worked, the latest in Brendan Carr nonsense, and more.

Further reading:

HomeView doesn’t natively support any video apps yet — not even Apple’s

Apple’s new Find My-compatible remote will also work with your old Apple TV

The AI race is back on

Google finally releases Gemini 4 Argon

Google brings its AI coding platform to its Gemini app on Mac.

Google makes it easier to launch your vibe-coded apps

OpenAI employee arrested for allegedly planting a bug in a conference room

OpenAI claims an ex-employee took its product plans and presented them to Apple

Now that Character.AI is going bankrupt, what happens to all of its users’ data?

Daring Fireball: X Once Again Marks the Spot

Platformer: Does intelligence need a hard cap?

SpaceX announces plan to become a ‘major mobile carrier’

JPMorgan Chase is keeping AI agents out.

Xbox is officially embracing the chaos of AI-powered game ports

Global smartphone sales just hit a 14-year low.

Silicon Valley is falling in line with Trump’s attempt to rename AI

The US government launched a “Super Intelligence” website.

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0:00 CarPlay Banter01:36 HomeView App Confusion03:40 CarPlay as Home OS08:31 Apple Hardware Software Bet13:28 Should It Just Be an iPad?14:31 Gemini 4 Returns16:18 Meta Muse Strategy19:54 Google Product Dilemma26:28 OpenAI Bugging Scandal29:49 Character AI Bankruptcy32:31 Bankrupt Data Goldmine33:00 Privacy After Shutdown36:55 Why People Return to X39:35 Threads Fumbled It40:49 X Owns AI Talk49:17 Who Should Use X49:57 Reporters And Sources53:00 Video Platforms Win54:44 Gruber Gets It Wrong01:01:29 Brendan Carr is a Dummy01:02:40 Execution Livestream Fallout01:07:21 Sprint Merger Fallout01:08:48 Dish Spectrum to SpaceX01:09:44 Can Starlink Compete01:11:30 SpaceX Phone Rumors01:13:55 Smartphone Sales Slump01:18:37 Agents vs Websites01:24:21 Why UI Still Matters01:26:43 Super Intelligence Rebrand01:30:37 AI Game Decompiling01:36:35 Wrap Up and Plugs

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Meta just shipped a pair of smart glasses with no camera — a change that both David and The Verge's Victoria Song are excited about. But these glasses, like the new product from Amazon Bee and seemingly everything else now, are still ready and willing to record the world around you at all times. What do we do in a world where everything, everywhere, might be recording? And can tech companies figure out a way to make us feel better about it?

You have until Thursday to vote for us in the Signal Awards!

Vote Decoder: Best Business Podcast

Vote Vergecast: Best Technology Podcast

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Further reading:

Prep your cart before iPhone Duo preorders open tomorrow

OpenAI agrees not to use trade secrets it allegedly took from Apple

Your secrets aren’t safe with this cute robot toy — they’re on Chinese servers ready to be hacked

I don’t miss the camera on the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses

Amazon’s always-listening Bee wearable can now help you buy stuff

We can’t just change the definition of ‘recording’

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A man named Mike Smith was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison, and a fine in excess of $8 million, for creating an AI system that faked billions of streams and earned him millions in royalties. Wired's Kate Knibbs explains how Smith pulled it off, how he got caught, and what this case means for the internet's growing slop problems.

Vote for us in the Signal Awards!

⁠Vote Vergecast: Best Technology Podcast⁠

⁠Vote Version History: Best History Podcast⁠

⁠Vote Decoder: Best Business Podcast⁠

Further reading:

⁠Apple’s HomeView ad is confusing to everyone except parents | The Verge⁠

⁠Ocarina of Time’s Switch 2 remake feels modern — and terrifying | The Verge⁠

⁠We might not have to wait 13 years for the next GTA | The Verge⁠

⁠Epic is bringing Fortnite to Linux | The Verge⁠

⁠JPMorgan Chase is keeping AI agents out. | The Verge⁠

⁠Wired: Spotify Confirms Streaming Fraud After Kalshi Trader Cries Foul⁠

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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Apple just announced its long-rumored HomeView smart home hub. But that's not all... there are cameras, thermostats and a door lock co-developed with LG and Schneider Electric, refreshed HomePod Minis, even a new Apple TV 4K. The Verge's senior smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattinson Tuohy joined Nilay Patel and David Pierce LIVE to discuss and take your questions about Apple's massive play to take over your house.

You have until Thursday to vote for us in the Signal Awards!

Vote Decoder: Best Business Podcast

Vote Vergecast: Best Technology Podcast

Vote Version History: Best History Podcast

Further reading:

Apple launches HomeView, its first smart display for the home

The new Apple Home Collection includes a video doorbell, smart lock, and more

Apple announces the HomePod Mini 2, but it isn’t ready for Siri AI at launch

The new Apple TV 4K has built-in microphones so you can talk to Siri AI

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It's gadget season. More specifically, it's apparently "new computer for your new AI" season. David and Nilay talk through a slew of announcements — Amazon's Alexa Tablets, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra, the new Googlebooks, and Apple's upcoming smart home launch — to figure out if anyone has the right idea about the future of computing, and where the AI is supposed to live. After that, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, our thoughts on the Paramount / Warner / Skydance merger, and much more.

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Read more about the topics discussed in today's 1 hour, 41 minute podcast:

⁠Amazon’s Alexa Tablets are powerful, impressive, and designed to take on iPad ⁠

⁠Hands-on with Amazon’s Alexa Tablet 12 Pro and its wild new matte display ⁠

⁠Amazon is phasing out Fire Tablets because they weren’t ‘giving customers what they were asking for⁠’

⁠Amazon’s new Kids Tablets let parents manage access to the Google Play store

⁠Apple announces surprise ‘Welcome home’ launch event⁠

⁠Apple and LG team up on new smart home gear, starting with a lock, doorbell, and thermostat⁠

⁠New leaks provide our first look at Apple and LG’s smart home devices

⁠Everything announced at Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra event ⁠

⁠The Surface Laptop Ultra finally has a release date — and a starting price of $2,599⁠

⁠Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra has built-in magnetic USB-C charging ⁠

⁠How Microsoft built its MacBook Pro competitor ⁠

⁠Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is available for preorder for $5,999 ⁠

⁠The first Nvidia RTX Spark laptops cost up to $7,000 ⁠

⁠Microsoft is giving Copilot more control over Windows and your files

Our first five impressions of Googlebooks — exciting but underbaked

Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think

Google admits not every Android app runs great on Intel Googlebooks

Politico: ‘Head on a guillotine’: ABC says Trump’s threats are already swaying coverage

ChatGPT’s ‘Intelligent UI’ update fills its responses with pictures, charts, and buttons

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery complete $110 billion media megamerger

HBO Max and Paramount Plus will merge into a single streamer under Skydance

CNN’s boss will remain as Paramount and WBD merge into Skydance

Skydance is merging Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s games teams.

Sam Altman says ‘some bad things’ will happen, but AI is totally worth it

0:00 Cold Open
00:37 David’s back!
01:10 Parenting Chaos Update
02:49 Gadget News Rundown
03:47 New Amazon Alexa Tablets
05:15 Panos Strategy Shift
06:31 Play Store Bet
11:17 Default Android Tablet
13:18 Ads and Pricing Fears
15:30 Amazon Great Products
21:20 Matte Display Debate
25:01 Apple Smart Home Tease
26:12 Siri AI Reality Check
29:08 Smart Home Too Complex
33:37 Candy Crush Question
34:56 iPad Multiuser Problem
39:04 Microsoft AI Surface Push
40:35 Local AI Computing Shift
47:22 Magnetic USB C Charging
48:37 Google Book Laptop Confusion
54:20 AI Agents Need A Surface
58:50 Skepticism About Agents
01:07:46 Brendan Carr is a Dummy
01:09:23 ABC License Chilling Effect
01:11:24 Brendan Carr Ownership Cap
01:12:30 Cable Companies Sue Back
01:14:44 SXSW Corruption Game
01:15:50 Skydance Mega Merger
01:18:04 Debt Layoffs Streamer Cuts
01:22:58 Go90 Scale Returns
01:24:02 Netflix Loses Its Edge
01:30:44 ChatGPT Interactive UI
01:37:47 Sam Altman Tradeoffs
01:44:49 Wrap Up And Plugs
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