Hello! This is The Vergecast, the flagship podcast of The Verge... and your life. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn make sense of the week's tech news with help from our wide-ranging staff. Join us every week for a fun, deeply nerdy, often off-the-rails conversation about what's happening now (and next) in technology and gadgets.
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Apple event preview, social media hearings, and monopoly week
This week on The Vergecast, Nilay, Paul, Russell, and Dieter dedicate half the show to The Verge’s monopoly week, which dives into the future of tech monopolies. They also discuss the social media hearings that happened on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. In the second half of the show, the crew updates us on what to expect for next week’s Apple event, from the mysterious third phone to the updated AirPods rumors. There’s a whole lot in between that — like a whole section dedicated to Roombas — so listen to it all, and you’ll get it all. 01:33 - Trump says Amazon, Facebook, and Google represent a ‘very antitrust situation’ 08:08 - The 7 biggest moments from Wednesday’s social media hearings 26:13 - This week in Elon Musk with Sean O’Kane 30:39 - The 9 most plausible rumors about the new iPhones 35:28 - Pixel 3 XL found in a Lyft, had already leaked enough for driver to recognize it 37:39 - New 6.5-inch iPhone X model reportedly called the ‘iPhone XS Max’ 38:25 - Third-party USB-C to Lightning cables are reportedly happening 42:41 - Five things to expect at the Apple event next week 45:16 - Paul’s weekly segment “The decline of dirt” 50:59 - Google’s Pixel 3 event will take place on October 9th 51:53 - BMW is the latest automaker to introduce its own in-car voice assistant 52:04 - Netflix and YouTube are most throttled mobile apps by US carriers, new study says 52:20 - Razer confirms it’s working on a second-generation Razer Phon 53:17 - Samsung teases foldable smartphone launch for later this year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tim Wu thinks it’s time to break up Facebook
Best known for coining the phrase “net neutrality” and his book The Master Switch, Tim Wu has a new book coming out in November called The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age. In it, he argues compellingly for a return to aggressive antitrust enforcement in the style of Teddy Roosevelt, saying that Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other huge tech companies are a threat to democracy as they get bigger and bigger. Nilay sits down with Wu for this week's interview episode of The Vergecast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IFA 2018, Apple event announced, and iPhone/Apple watch leaks
This week, The Verge has been at IFA 2018, Europe’s big tech event. There are a lot of new gadgets, so Nilay, Dieter, and Paul go through their favorites on The Vergecast. Also, Apple announced its September event this week, and immediately following the announcement, iPhone and Apple Watch leaks surfaced. The crew discusses. And, of course, we have our fan-favorite segments: Liz’s “This week in Elon Musk” and Paul’s “Keyboard-in-the-front club: population 2” There’s a whole lot more in between that — like Sonos announcing a geeky new amp — so listen to it all, and you’ll get it all. 01:04 - The Internet of Garbage by Sarah Jeong 02:08 - Apple’s next iPhone event will be on September 12th 03:24 - Purported iPhone XS image shows gold color and Plus-sized display 15:03 - Leaked Apple Watch Series 4 image reveals bigger display, new complications 25:15 - This week in Elon Musk with Liz Lopatto 29:30 - IFA 2018: all the biggest news from Europe’s grand tech showcase 29:43 - Acer’s absurd Predator Thronos gaming chair is fit for a king 32:29 - Lenovo’s new Yoga Book replaces the keyboard with an E-Ink screen 36:22 - Asus’ new laptop has a touchscreen trackpad 37:44 - Skagen’s minimalist Falster smartwatch gets a sequel with fitness features 43:01 - Sony’s 1000X M3 noise-canceling headphones have an improved design and USB-C 45:09 - Paul’s weekly segment “Keyboard-in-the-front club: population 2” 48:51 - Trump lashes out at Google: all the news about the president’s intensifying feud with Silicon Valley 52:18 - The new Sonos Amp is coming to save your old speakers 59:20 - The last Blockbuster: what we really lose when video stores shut down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microsoft’s president explains how Gab shutdown notice went from customer support to his desk
We're kicking off our secondary Vergecast episode of the week with an interview with Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. In this wide-ranging interview , Smith expanded on why the company nearly shut down Gab.ai, the “free-speech” absolutist platform that’s become an alt-right favorite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
App Store chaos, ray tracing, and new Macbook Air rumors
This week on The Vergecast, Paul, Nilay, and Dieter start off the show with the news that Netflix is testing a payment feature to bypass Apple’s App Store fees, which leads into a larger discussion of (as Nilay calls it) “App Store chaos.” Paul seems pretty excited about “ray tracing” — a term that Nvidia is using for its upcoming graphics cards — so the crew explains what that means and how far ahead Nvidia is compared to its competition. Competition is a general theme in this week’s episode. We’ve also got our two recurring segments in the show: deputy editor Liz Lopatto’s “This Week in Elon Musk” (which is now a newsletter) and Paul’s segment “Cold ears, warm heart.” And we must not forget the latest Apple rumors that have hit the news in preparation for the likely Apple event in September. But there’s a whole lot more in between that, so listen to it all and you’ll get it all. 03:35 - Netflix is testing a payment feature to bypass Apple’s App Store fees 20:39 - ‘Ray tracing’ could bring the biggest graphics jump in a decade 30:59 - DJI’s new Mavic 2 drones have upgraded cameras and zoom lenses 34:34 - Nikon strikes back at Sony with first full-frame mirrorless cameras 40:09 - This week in Elon Musk with Liz Lopatto 44:15 - Apple’s MacBook Air successor will reportedly have slim bezels and high-res Retina display 51:14 - Microsoft to bundle Xbox One consoles, Xbox Live, and Game Pass into a monthly subscription service 52:56 - Paul’s weekly segment “Cold ears, warm heart” 53:52 - A day in the life of a Waymo self-driving taxi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This week in Twitter, Elon Musk, and batteries
We’ve got a whirlwind of an episode this week on The Vergecast. Nilay, Paul, and Dieter bring back Silicon Valley Editor and host of Converge Casey Newton to discuss Twitter’s bad week and what the heck is going on with them. But before that, there’s a whole lot of other things that came up. We reviewed both the Galaxy Note 9 and Android 9 Pie this week, so Dieter runs through everything you need to know about the two launches. We’ve also got two fresh segments this this week. Deputy Editor Liz Lopatto updates us on this week in Elon Musk, and culture reporters Megan Farokhmanesh and Bijan Stephen stop by to tell us what’s happening in culture section of The Verge. There’s a whole lot more in between that — such as Paul’s segment, “Phone prison,” that he does every week — so listen in to hear it all. 01:36 - Battery week 02:14 - Note 9 review 09:58 - Android 9 Pie review 18:11 - This week in Elon with Liz Lopatto 21:51 - Tesla allegedly covered up drug trafficking and spied on employees at the Gigafactory, whistleblower says 23:03 - Verizon’s 5G home internet launch will come with free YouTube TV or Apple TV 4K 23:26 - Sprint and LG will release a 5G smartphone in the first half of 2019 31:02 - This week in culture with Megan and Bijan 38:18 - Twitter’s fear of making hard decisions is killing it 1:01:05 - Twitter officially kills off key features in third-party apps 1:08:00 - Paul’s weekly segment “Phone prison” 1:11:20 -Google may add Windows 10 dual-boot option to Chromebooks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Magic Leap, Galaxy Note 9, and Android Pie
If you’ve been reading The Verge this week, then you know Samsung announced a few products. We got our hands on the Galaxy Note 9, the Galaxy Watch, and we even got to look at that Home speaker as well. That news is covered in a big chunk of The Vergecast this week, but there was also so much other stuff that happened. Adi Robertson was able to travel down to Plantation, Florida, to check out Magic Leap’s creator edition headset. She sits down with Nilay, Paul, and Dieter to discuss her experience with the device and how it compares to the years of hype surrounding it. And, of course, since another week went by on this planet, there is another week of Elon Musk news. Science editor Liz Lopatto graciously fills us in on the show. Like I said, there’s a whole lot more — like Paul’s weekly segment SHAASUIVG — so if you listen to it all, you’ll get it all really. 03:32 - Samsung announces Galaxy Note 9 with bigger screen, huge battery, and more powerful S Pen 16:20 - Fortnite for Android is launching today exclusively on recent Samsung Galaxy devices 23:47 - Samsung unveils its latest smartwatch — the Galaxy Watch 24:27 - Samsung announces Galaxy Home speaker 25:49 - Samsung is partnering with Spotify across its devices 29:20 - The 5 most important Android Pie updates 32:57 - I tried Magic Leap and saw a flawed glimpse of mixed reality’s amazing potential 54:25 - This week in Elon Musk with Liz Lopatto 58:33 - Microsoft Surface Go review: a little goes a long way 1:03:03 - The new Anki Vector robot is smart enough to just hang out 1:08:35 - The FCC lied to Congress about an alleged cyberattack and didn’t come clean until now 1:12:00 - Justice Department appeal says AT&T-Time Warner merger decision is ‘contrary to fundamental economic logic’ 1:14:48 - Paul’s weekly segment “SHAASUIVG” 1:17:24 - Google Pixel 3 XL leak appears to show production hardware and wired USB-C Pixel Buds 1:18:09 - The Palm smartphone reboot is shaping up to be disappointing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Surface Go, Apple earnings, and HipChat memories
In the thrilling conclusion to our three part epic miniseries, "Apple doesn't make the laptops we want," Nilay, Paul, and Dieter discuss how nothing really even matters because Apple is a phone company worth $1 trillion. Samsung, Amazon, and Tesla earnings are also discussed, along with Farhad Manjoo's "Frightful Five" thesis. Then, in "The Bezel Wars," our hosts discuss the Surface Go, iPad rumors, and the Windows 10 S life Dieter has been living. Paul's weekly segment about "Wireless Vapes" is as poignant as ever. Ultimately, the final question is something like, "How many notches can you fit on the blockchain?" 02:19 - The race to $1 trillion 05:25 - Phones, not Macs 14:18 - Amazon's cloud power 24:53 - Dieter's Surface Go impressions 26:41 - Can you name ten Windows 10 S apps? 34:20 - #donglelife 38:44 - Paul's weekly segment, "Wireless Vapes" 44:35 - Two notches, max 46:31 - Pixel 3 leak 47:54 - Mergers and acquisitions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Macbook Pro review, Lenovo smart display review, and the Data Transfer Project
After a week of speculation on whether the new MacBook Pro was throttling performance under heat, Apple released a software fix to address the problem. Dieter’s review for the laptop (post software fix) published on Wednesday so Nilay, Paul, and Dieter discuss what happened with the product and how it performs. Dieter also reviewed the new Lenovo Smart Display, so there's a chunk of the show dedicated to that device, which exceeded expectations. And we’ve got another week of Elon Musk. Transportation reporter Andrew Hawkins gives us an update in what has been happening in the world of Tesla, SpaceX, and the various endeavors of the unpredictable billionaire. We’re going strong with our weekly interviews, and this week we have Brian Willard from Google to discuss the Data Transfer Project — Google’s initiative designed to transfer data from one service to another without downloading and re-uploading. We also can’t forget the segment Paul does every week called “What is it like to be a dolphin?” so keep listening for that. But you know, we’ve got a whole lot more in between that — so listen to it all and you’ll get it all. 02:30 - Apple MacBook Pro review (2018, 15-inch): the heat is on 22:01 - This week in Elon Musk with Andrew Hawkins 26:53 - Lenovo Smart Display review 35:44 - Data Transfer Project with Brian Willard of Google 59:46 - Paul’s weekly segment “What is it like to be a dolphin?” 1:02:30 - Amazon’s Alexa Cast makes it simpler to play music from your phone on Echo speakers 1:10:00 - Facebook growth slows in aftermath of privacy scandals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google gets fined, Macbook Pro benchmarks, and Roku CEO Anthony Wood
We’ve got a super stuffed episode of The Vergecast this week. First, the biggest news in tech right now is the European Commission’s ruling that Google has been unfairly using Android to push Google search on users, giving it an unfair advantage. Nilay, Dieter, and Paul sit down and discuss the implications. In the second half of the show, Dieter discusses some of the new MacBook Pro benchmarks that claim the processors may throttle performance due to cooling issues. Nilay got an exclusive interview with Roku CEO Anthony Wood, so we’ve included that in this episode as well. Also, our culture coverage continues this week with another roundup by Megan Farokhmanesh and Bijan Stephen. There’s even a whole lot more in between that — like Paul’s newly sponsored segment “Fold the phone” — so listen to it all, and you’ll get it all. 01:46 - Verizon is shutting down its original video app Go90 06:26 - Six questions you were afraid to ask about Google’s EU antitrust case 25:09 - Google may put its Fuchsia OS on smart home devices within three years 34:25 - This week in culture with Megan and Bijan 39:42 - Test suggests 2018 MacBook Pro can’t keep up with Intel Core i9 chip’s thermal demands 53:15 - Roku CEO Anthony Wood interview 1:17:33 - Paul’s weekly segment “Fold the phone” 1:20:39 - Galaxy Note 9 leak suggests it looks a lot like the Note 8 1:22:12 - Walmart reportedly plans to launch Netflix competitor under its Vudu brand later this year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Updated Macbook Pros, Microsoft Surface Go, and this week in Elon
This week on The Vergecast, Nilay and Dieter discuss an Apple event they were invited to this week for Apple’s updated MacBook Pros. Along with Paul, they dive into how creatives are using these machines, and what these new specs are. Another laptop announcement from this week is Microsoft’s Surface Go. The crew runs through their demo with the computer and discuss how it compares to the other Surface devices. And continuing with our trend, we also have a new edition of “This week in Elon Musk,” hosted by science editor Liz Lopatto. There’s a lot more in between that — like Paul’s newly sponsored segment “Hearrings” — so listen to it all, and you’ll get it all. 01:36 - 10 years of app store 05:12- Apple’s new MacBook Pros have the latest Intel processors and quieter keyboards 21:58 - Apple worked with Blackmagic on a new external GPU 33:09 - This week in Elon Musk with Liz Lopatto 38:20 - Microsoft’s $399 Surface Go aims to stand out from iPads or Chromebooks 45:49 - Magic Leap is shipping its first headset this summer 51:56 - Justice Department appeals ruling in attempt to block massive AT&T–Time Warner merger 57:24 - Paul’s weekly segment “Hearrings” 1:00:23 - YouTube TV goes down (again) during World Cup 1:02:43 - Xbox One is getting Dolby Vision support 1:03:32 - Apple will end its photo printing operation in September 1:06:55 - This amazing new web tool lets you create microsites that exist solely as URLs 1:08:09 - This app reads Wikipedia to teach you about the cities you’re driving through Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
macOS Mojave beta, Microsoft Surface USB-C dongle, and this week in Elon Musk
The Vergecast starts off this week in a traditional fashion with a talk about dongles — Microsoft’s $80 USB-C dongle to be exact. But there’s a whole bunch of little things that also happened this week that Nilay, Dieter, and Paul discuss. We’ve got Apple acknowledging the problem with its MacBook keyboards, Google demoing Duplex, and Apple releasing the Mojave public beta. Also this week, we bring you two new rotating segments on the show. First we have transportation reporter Sean O’Kane with “This Week in Elon Musk” — a rundown of the news that happened this week in the Elon Musk canon. Second, culture reporters Megan Farokhmanesh and Bijan Stephen run though their favorite “Culture Headlines” on The Verge this week. And of course we’ve got Paul’s weekly segment that he does every week, “Rhymes With What’s Poppin’,” so if you listen to the whole show, you’ve got a stew going. 02:20 - Microsoft’s Surface USB-C dongle launches on June 29th for $79.99 09:15 - Apple acknowledges faulty MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards with new repair program 15:00 - macOS Mojave is now available in public beta 20:59 - Intel now faces a fight for its future 29:06 - This week in Elon Musk with Sean O’Kane 33:41 - Google Duplex really works and testing begins this summer 42:03 - BlackBerry Key2 review: a keyboard with a phone 42:59 - LG says screw everything, we’re doing five cameras for the V40 43:57 - The Galaxy Note 9 hits the FCC, with launch of Samsung’s next flagship presumably on the horizon 45:51 - AT&T more than doubles ‘admin fee’ for every wireless customer 48:31 - Culture headlines with Megan and Bijan 52:58 - Honda retires its famed Asimo robot 53:41 - Paul’s weekly segment “Rhymes with whats poppin” 55:58 - Amazon adds voice control to its Alexa iOS app 59:19 - Sonos Beam review: living room upgrade Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Recode's Kara Swisher, AT&T - Time Warner, and IGTV
Instagram announced on Wednesday a standalone app called IGTV, a place for watching long-form vertical video. Casey and Ashely — who went to Instagram’s event that announced the app — talk with Nilay, Dieter, and Paul about their initial feelings about the platform and predict how it will fit into the social mediasphere. Also, Nilay Patel sits down with Kara Swisher to talk about the recent AT&T and Time Warner merger. Kara published a book in 2003 about the AOL and Time Warner merger There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere (the merger split off in 2009) so the two discuss the similarities and differences between the two mergers and what they can potentially mean when distribution companies own content. There’s a whole lot more in between that — like Paul’s weekly segment (now up for sale) “Shaavoop” — so listen to it all and you’ll get it all. 01:54 - Instagram announces IGTV, a standalone app for longer videos 19:33 - AT&T launches new WatchTV streaming service at aggressive $15-per-month price 27:26 - Tinder parent company buys anti-Tinder dating app Hinge 35:51 - Kara Swisher talks AT&T - Time Warner merger 1:07:12 - Paul’s weekly segment “Shaavoop” 1:11:51 - What happens if Apple loses its Supreme Court App Store antitrust appeal? 1:19:27 - Apple’s AirPower charging mat rumored to ship in September following ‘technical hurdles’ 1:19:48 - Apple and Oprah are teaming up to make videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence, E3, and net neutrality ends
In addition to our classic Nilay, Dieter, and Paul trio, we’ve added a few things this week. To give you the best coverage of E3, culture editor Laura Hudson gives us a quick rundown of the news from the expo to start off the show In the second half of the show, Nilay sits down with Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of other classic Vergecast — some gadget talk, Paul’s weekly segment (you know, “How big is the Moon?”), and some deep dives into net neutrality, antitrust law, and Comcast’s $65 million bid on 21st Century Fox. 02:06 - Laura Hudson’s E3 roundup 07:13 - Sony issues weak response to Fortnite cross-play controversy on PS4 and Switch 11:26 - Microsoft is getting ready for the next Xbox vs. PlayStation console war 16:33 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt is defending a controversial plan to crowdsource Beyond Good and Evil 2 art 25:01 - Interview with CEO of Sonos Patrick Spence 1:02:49 - Paul’s weekly segment “How big is the moon?” 1:06:28 - I picked up a Boring Company Not-A-Flamethrower and it’s mine now 1:07:04 - The Boring Company’s Chicago project seems awfully cheap for something so big 1:11:18 - HTC U12 Plus review: fixing what didn’t need to be broken 1:12:54 - Samsung upgrades the Chromebook Plus with a second camera and new processor 1:13:44 - Eero promises not to brick routers if you don’t pay a subscription 1:17:47 - Net neutrality is dead — what now? 1:19:48 - Comcast makes $65 billion offer to steal 21st Century Fox away from Disney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
WWDC, Sonos Beam, and Microsoft buys Github
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference happened this week, and Nilay, Dieter, Jake, and Ashley are on top of it. Second half of the show, we’ve got Dieter’s exclusive look at the Sonos Beam, Microsoft buying GitHub, a new Fire TV thingy, and breaking news for Essential. There’s a whole lot more in between that — like Paul’s weekly segment (hosted by Jake Kastrenakes) “Hey look at this thing I just found on theverge.com“ — so if you listen to it all, you’ll get it all. 02:48 - Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 04:35 - Siri will soon be able to pull off multistep routines through Shortcuts 15:40 - Walkie-Talkie on the Apple Watch is a clever riff on FaceTime Audio 19:01 - Apple’s Memoji lets you create an Animoji of yourself 23:35 - Apple CarPlay will soon let you use Google Maps, Waze, and other third-party maps 25:21 - Apple will let developers port iOS apps to macOS in 2019 33:51 - The Apple TV is finally getting Dolby Atmos support 38:56 - The Essential Phone’s first new module since launch is a magnetic headphone jack 41:02 - The Beam is Sonos’ ambitious attempt to win the living room 50:40 - Amazon’s Fire TV Cube is an Echo, streaming box, and universal remote in one 55:05 - Paul’s weekly segment “Hey look at this thing I just found on theverge.com” by Jake 57:30 - Microsoft confirms it’s acquiring GitHub for $7.5 billion 1:00:07 - Facebook accused of giving over 60 device makers inappropriate access to user data 1:06:06 - Instagram might soon let you post videos up to an hour long 1:09:48 - California’s net neutrality bill could set a national standard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices