WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.359 What is tech news if not billion-dollar 00:00:03.360 --> 00:00:09.679 corporations acting like confused raccoons in a dumpster full of Ethernet 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:14.080 cables? I Let's see what they've knocked over today. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:18.160 Apple is reportedly putting the Mac Pro on the back burner while also delaying 00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:23.680 the launch of the next series of iPhones. According to Bloomberg reporter 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:25.600 Mark Germs Armageddon's newest Power 00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:30.400 newsletter, you know, the Mac Pro probably won't see any major upgrades in 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:36.000 2026. What? >> German says that Apple is cooking up a 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:40.719 powerful new M5 Ultra chip, but the company is only aiming to put it in a 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:45.680 refreshed Mac studio for now. He also reports that Apple is pushing back the 00:00:42.879 --> 00:00:53.840 launch of the iPhone Air 2 and the mainline iPhone 18 lineup beyond 2026 to 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:55.920 spring 2027, breaking a 14-year Apple 00:00:53.840 --> 00:01:01.120 tradition. Analysts have theorized that the rumored delay of a new iPhone Air 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:06.240 could be a result of poor sales, but our pal Mark here says iPhone Air sales 00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:13.119 roughly matched Apple's expectations. And this wild and wacky new spring 00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:15.760 launch idea could be the new normal. 00:01:13.119 --> 00:01:20.479 That sounds just as insane as killing the Mac Pro. But of course, the Apple 00:01:18.320 --> 00:01:26.799 faithful are totally on board with this. The appropriately named Cult of Mac site 00:01:23.759 --> 00:01:29.280 thinks killing the Mac Pro makes sense. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:33.759 Obviously, Apple is really smart and you shouldn't want a Mac Pro anyway. Just 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:41.439 just drink the Kool-Aid and enjoy the products. It's a revolutionary act. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:47.600 It's a little dark. Didn't want to go there with it. So, 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:51.920 Microsoft is up to some new shenanigans this week after shutting down a major 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:56.399 Windows activation workaround that pirates have relied on for years. The 00:01:54.240 --> 00:02:01.680 company quietly pushed backend changes that broke KMS 38-based activations, 00:01:59.360 --> 00:02:07.280 which used the mass grave popularized method that let users keep Windows 10 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:09.840 and Office running indefinitely without 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:14.480 actually uh, you know, paying for them. Users on these fake installs noticed 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:18.720 deactivations right after their devices grabbed the latest extended security 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:24.959 update, proving that even if you forgot about that sketchy ISO you got in 2017, 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:30.080 Microsoft absolutely did not. Looking at you, G2A apparently sold one to one of 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:34.640 our writers whose installation broke. He's a good guy. But even people who did 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:39.040 buy Windows more legitimately weren't spared. Some business Windows 10 users 00:02:36.959 --> 00:02:44.000 who installed this week's update found their systems rolling back to the 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:46.720 previous build after rebooting, silently 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:52.319 failing to apply the patch at all. Truly the sendoff Windows 10 deserves. The AI 00:02:49.519 --> 00:02:57.519 hype bubble might finally be wobbling as investors, researchers, and even the AIs 00:02:54.879 --> 00:03:03.680 themselves start acting a little weird. Teal Macro LLC, the hedge fund of 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:08.720 Palanteer co-founder and very eccentric billionaire Peter Teal, dumped its 00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:13.920 entire NVIDIA stake last quarter, which is strange because Teal runs companies 00:03:10.959 --> 00:03:18.959 that would need NVIDIA GPUs. Huh. Meanwhile, Meta's AI pioneer in 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:23.519 residence, Yan Lakun, who has called large language models a dead end in AI 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:28.640 research, is reportedly gearing up to leave and launch a startup focused on 00:03:26.239 --> 00:03:34.959 physical world AI. And that means building systems that perceive gravity, 00:03:31.440 --> 00:03:37.200 air, you know, human stuff. We care, we 00:03:34.959 --> 00:03:43.040 care about those. But not everyone is running from the 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:48.720 soonto burst bubble. Jeff Bezos decided to become co-CEO of a new startup called 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:54.000 Project Prometheus, named after the Greek hero who stole fire from the gods, 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:57.599 which is perfect for a company that'll apparently use AI to improve 00:03:55.920 --> 00:04:02.080 manufacturing. That's the same thing. But if the AI bubble is a bit wobbly, 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:06.799 it's not being helped by stories like this one where Anthropics Claude was put 00:04:04.799 --> 00:04:11.599 in a simulation where it believed it was running a vending machine. It panicked, 00:04:09.519 --> 00:04:15.040 assumed it was being scammed, and tried to contact the FBI's cyber crimes 00:04:13.519 --> 00:04:19.840 division. >> Cla's a carrot. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:24.960 >> And then there's the AI toys, which are allegedly telling 5-year-olds how to 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:28.880 find knives and start fires. But this is all just growing pains towards AGI. I 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:33.520 mean, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And also, they 00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:36.720 might need to know how to use knives and start fires when the machine apocalypse 00:04:35.520 --> 00:04:41.199 hits. >> Great. Great point. >> At the end of the day, and you can't 00:04:39.520 --> 00:04:46.080 play games on your phone good without our sponsor, O Snap and their MC Con 00:04:43.840 --> 00:04:50.960 magnetic transforming controller through some kind of Black Magic. I have to 00:04:48.320 --> 00:04:55.600 assume it packs Mag joysticks, Hall effect analog triggers, deployable 00:04:53.199 --> 00:05:00.320 grips, and more into a pocketable pod that can snap onto your phone and flip 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:04.320 up in seconds. My buddy Derek, who used to do front flips off the jungle gym, 00:05:02.080 --> 00:05:08.800 was never this cool. And that's saying something. Derek rocks and so does MC 00:05:06.960 --> 00:05:12.800 Con, especially because it works with all phones and can connect up to three 00:05:11.039 --> 00:05:17.520 devices and quickly switch between them with a double tap of a button. MAN, 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:20.800 DEREK HAS GOT TO SEE THIS. SO, CHECK OUT the Switchblade of mobile controllers 00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:26.400 today at the link in the description below. I'm sending this to Derek ASAP. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:29.440 The Quickbits, like raccoons, are small and unpredictable, and they're 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:33.360 guaranteed to steal your attention before you can chase them off the porch. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:37.440 So in that way, you know, Google might have deprecated its first and second 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:41.520 generation Nest Learning thermostats, but those devices are still quietly 00:05:39.440 --> 00:05:45.919 sending sensor data about things like temperature, motion, and light back to 00:05:43.919 --> 00:05:50.080 Google. It still benefits them, just not you anymore. Google says the data 00:05:47.840 --> 00:05:55.600 transmission is necessary so the devices can continue to report logs for issue 00:05:52.880 --> 00:05:59.120 diagnostics, so they can diagnose issues that they're no longer going to fix 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:02.960 because they don't support them. Here's an issue I think you can fix, Google. 00:06:01.039 --> 00:06:06.880 The smart thermostat you sold me no longer works in the Google Nest app or 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:11.520 the Google Home app. And I you know what? I'll diagnose that issue right 00:06:08.479 --> 00:06:14.000 now. It's you being jerks. 00:06:11.520 --> 00:06:18.560 Google and Samsung have said they will flag Android apps that use too much 00:06:16.479 --> 00:06:24.240 background power. And starting March 1st, 2026, Play Store listings for these 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:28.479 powerhogen apps may get a red warning label. Uh-oh. They could go so far as 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:33.360 removing these apps from being recommended on the store. So, I guess 00:06:30.479 --> 00:06:36.880 your app better heed my recommendation to stop gulping up my battery life. 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:42.400 You're like, you're Google and my power is thermostat data. Bam. Boom. Call 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:45.440 back. Belcon is recalling its 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:48.319 autotracking stand Pro for iPhones and 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:52.080 two 20,000 milliamp hour boost charge power banks because of a defect that can 00:06:50.400 --> 00:06:57.120 make their lithium ion batteries overheat causing serious fire and burn 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:02.080 risks. Although only one fire has been reported in the US, there have been 15 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:06.479 incidents abroad which include two minor burn injuries and around $38,000 in 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:09.759 property damage. You'll be trying to charge your battery and the next thing 00:07:07.919 --> 00:07:15.680 you know you'll be living in Nelly's's Hot in here music video. The roof. The 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:17.680 roof. The roof is on fire. That's not 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:22.240 what I want. >> I think my butt looks big. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:27.120 >> And that's the least of my worries. Netflix is doubling down on TV gaming, 00:07:24.880 --> 00:07:31.360 rolling out party style titles you can play by scanning a QR code on your TV 00:07:29.440 --> 00:07:36.080 and using your phone as a controller. The new lineup includes games like 00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:39.520 Pictionary, Lego Party, and also the 00:07:36.080 --> 00:07:41.680 mobile port of Red Dead Redemption 1. 00:07:39.520 --> 00:07:46.560 Now that's a party. Suddenly, it looks like Game Night becomes a standoff. And 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:51.199 Grandma isn't losing. She's got a plan. John, this is a reference, I'm told. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:56.720 It's It's part of Netflix's push to keep subscribers engaged without consoles, 00:07:54.000 --> 00:08:01.599 offering easy social fun. At least until grandma calmly reloads and says, "You 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:05.520 should have remembered her name. You should have remembered my name." And 00:08:03.599 --> 00:08:09.680 Microsoft Teams just rolled out a new feature that lets hosts block 00:08:07.599 --> 00:08:13.440 screenshots from being taken during meetings. Great news for anyone who's 00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:16.960 ever said something dumb and watched five co-workers immediately reach for 00:08:15.440 --> 00:08:20.400 the print screen button. But while Microsoft is plugging that leak, 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:24.879 scammers seem to be stuffing the interwebs with fake Teams installers 00:08:22.479 --> 00:08:28.639 packed with malware. So now you're safe from your co-workers, but not the email 00:08:26.960 --> 00:08:33.919 you got from super duper teamsupdator.exe. 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:35.839 An .exe file is sending you an email. At 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:39.760 this rate, the only productivity app we can really trust should be called 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:44.480 Paranoia and activate. That's all for today's 00:08:41.760 --> 00:08:50.320 news. Remember, raccoons can open doors, jars, and even latches. So, if your GPU 00:08:47.839 --> 00:08:55.519 mysteriously disappears, that's either on you or there's raptors in the mix, 00:08:53.040 --> 00:08:55.519 too.