The Vergecast

The delightfully messy state of Apple gadgets

2026-10-30

Nilay is going to buy the new touchscreen MacBook. But not for the touchscreen. He and David talk through Apple's new laptop, and what it means for Apple's other devices, including the tablet that used to be the future of everything. Then the hosts talk about Instagram's push into long-form video and its battle with AI content. Finally, it's time for Brendan Carr, Anthropic's S-1, robot vacuums, and the rest of the lightning round.Further reading: Apple finally combined a toaster and a refrigerator Hands-on with the new OLED iPad Mini Instagram doesn’t have a plan to pay long-form video creators Adam Mosseri says negativity around AI is ‘going to get worse’ Invasion of the Sexy A.I. Joke Thieves Brendan Carr plans to let prisons jam cellphone signals Five weird details from Anthropic’s IPO filing Microsoft is ending Copilot support on smart TVs Google says its investments in AI are driving more searches Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is getting into laptops — and claims they’ll be American-made 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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.0:00 ProLED Cold Open01:04 Touchscreen Mac Arrives02:39 Why Apple Did Touch05:27 App Store Pressure07:54 Touch Is Just Enough09:49 Influencer Event Demos13:56 iPad Squeezed Middle18:34 Luxury Hardware Bet22:37 Duo Reality Check28:18 Instagram Going Through It29:07 AI Agents vs Ads32:18 Zuck Escapes iPhone32:41 Instagram Becomes TV33:23 Slop Meme Deepfakes36:09 Mosseri AI Crisis42:58 Longform Video Push44:34 Creators Demand Revshare48:19 Loop Closing Arms Race49:34 Reddit Versus Google Zero53:22 AI Kills The Web01:00:20 Brendan Carr is a Dummy01:02:22 Spectrum Auction Plan01:03:35 NOAA Weather Spectrum Fight01:04:29 700 MHz Auction History01:05:38 FCC Spectrum Power Grab01:06:09 Privatizing Weather Data01:09:27 Anthropic S1 Reality Check01:12:34 AI Products Beat Models01:16:55 Claude Goes Sentient01:17:55 Copilot Leaves Smart TVs01:21:16 Quiet Robot Vacuum Thoughts01:25:03 Palmer Luckey Laptop Fight01:30:10 X Replies and Racism01:32:32 Wrap Up and Next WeekLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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1,106

Latest episode

2026-10-30

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The Vergecast is the flagship daily podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and David Pierce hang out and make sense of the week’s most important technology news. And Monday through Thursday, David leads a selection of The Verge’s expert staffers in an exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives – and which ones you should bring into yours.