We look back at the biggest tech news of 2025, plus the U.S. halts new DJI drone imports, our ChatGPT “Wrapped” results, and our tech picks of the year!

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Links from the show

• Jason on Movies on the Side Podcast
• Nelko Bluetooth Thermal Shipping Label Printer
• Anker Nano Charging Station, 7-in-1 USB-C
• The Task Knife | Grovemade® 
• Elgato Stream Deck +
• US bans new foreign drone models in a blow to Chinese giant DJI | CNN Business
• ChatGPT launches a year-end review like Spotify Wrapped | TechCrunch
• Apple warns employees not to leave the U.S. amid return delays - 9to5Mac
• Instagram long-form videos and full control of your feed may happen
• Apple Intelligence summaries might get warning labels. That’s not enough. – Six Colors
• TikTok gets reprieve with Trump order but with twist | Reuters 
• How Apple Builds Iconic Stores: SVP Deirdre O’Brien Interview! - YouTube
• DeepSeek privacy under investigation in US and Europe; App Store impact
• Apple Invites - YouTube
• After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box | The Verge
• Scarlett Johansson calls for anti deepfake laws after AI video goes viral | The Verge
• My Teen Switched to iPhone 16e – Does He Regret It? - YouTube
• In an Email to Customers, Humane Just Delivered a Brutal Lesson in Failure
• With Its AI-Powered Alexa+, Amazon Just Put Apple on Notice
• OpenAI expands Deep Research to all paying ChatGPT users
• Hands on With the M4 MacBook Air: It’s Delightful
• iOS 19 Redesign Now Widely Rumored - MacRumors
• Apple adds new disclaimer on its website advertising delayed AI Siri features - 9to5Mac
• Daring Fireball: Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino
• Sonos has canceled its streaming video player | The Verge
• Nintendo Switch 2 specs: 1080p 120Hz display, 4K dock, mouse mode, and more | The Verge
• Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the U.S. - The New York Times
• Leaked iPhone 17 Pro Cases Show Huge Cutout for New Camera Bump - MacRumors
• Report: iPadOS 19 to be 'more like macOS' in major overhaul - 9to5Mac
• OpenAI is building a social network | The Verge
• iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video - MacRumors
• A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store | The Verge
• Airbnb Just Radically Changed Travel Again. Here’s How.
• At I/O, Google Just Shipped Apple’s AI Promises
• A letter from Sam and Jony | OpenAI

Fancy coffee beans, frothing techniques, and espresso.

Watch on YouTube!

• Subscribe and watch our weekly episodes plus bonus clips at: https://youtu.be/_AR4lf0g82Q

Links Mentioned

• Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Series
• Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine
• Diamond Blend Trade Coffee
• H.O.M.E.S. Blend
• Sparrows Coffee
• Sumatra, Adsenia - Organic - Buddy Brew Coffee
• Otoño Blend | Fall Seasonal Blend | Intelligentsia Coffee

Oscars ditch traditional TV for YouTube, ChatGPT’s image upgrades are significant, 5.2 launches with an entire app store, Merriam-Webster crowns “slop” as 2025’s word of the year, and who are the players in the battle for your TV.

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• Join the Community
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• @stephenrobles on Threads
• @jasonaten on Threads

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Sponsors:

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Links from the show

• Shop Rock Paper Pencil — iPad Paper Screen Protector + Apple Pencil Tips - Astropad
• ‎Capture App - App Store
• iOS 26.3: New features for your iPhone - 9to5Mac
• Oscars Bolts from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029
• My Favorite Murder and The Breakfast Club podcasts are ditching YouTube for Netflix | The Verge
• The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement
• ReThinking: Margaret Atwood on… - Worklife with Adam Grant - Apple Podcasts
• Introducing GPT-5.2 | OpenAI
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT Updated to Make Images Better and Faster - Bloomberg
• Developers can now submit apps to ChatGPT | OpenAI
• AI Thumbnail Comparison @stephenrobles.com on Bluesky
• Google announces Gemini 3 Flash, rolling out to Gemini app
• Instagram is putting Reels on your TV | The Verge
• Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’ | The Verge
• New M5 iMac model aimed at pro users might be coming, per leak - 9to5Mac

• (00:00) - Intro

Why was quicksand terrifying as a kid? Also, murder hornets, the Darien Gap, F1 movie, and  Vision Pro.

Watch on YouTube!

• Subscribe and watch our weekly episodes plus bonus clips at: https://youtu.be/Ct7vn0mhE74

Apple Silicon’s Johny Srouji says he’s staying, Australia enforces a sweeping social media ban for kids, Netflix makes a massive $72 billion gamble against YouTube, ChatGPT can use Photoshop for you, and Meta gives you some control over its algorithm.

• Ad-Free + Bonus Episodes
• Show Notes via Email
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• Join the Community
• Email Us: [email protected]
• @stephenrobles on Threads
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• Music by Breakmaster Cylinder

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Links from the show

• Is Apple Cooked? - YouTube
• Stephen Lemay Bio - Cult of Mac
• Apple Rocked by Executive Departures, With Johny Srouji at Risk of Leaving Next - Bloomberg
• Apple Silicon chief Johny Srouji reportedly commits to staying at Apple for now - 9to5Mac
• Millions of children and teens lose access to accounts as Australia’s world-first social media ban begins | Social media ban | The Guardian
• Tim Cook meets lawmakers in effort to shift App Store age proposal - 9to5Mac
• Netflix Just Made a $72 Billion Bet Against YouTube
• Netflix is buying Warner Bros. for $83 billion | The Verge
• Paramount Makes Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery - The New York Times
• Google Project Aura hands-on: Android XR’s biggest strength is in the apps | The Verge
• Google details Gemini in Chrome’s agentic browsing security
• Instagram gives you more control over your Reels algorithm | The Verge
• Inspired by all of you who started "dear threads algo" requests, we're going to test a new feature where if you post "dear algo" it will actually put more of that content in your feed!
• Sam Altman’s Sprint to Correct OpenAI’s Direction and Fend Off Google - WSJ
• Here are iPhone’s most downloaded apps and games of 2025 - 9to5Mac
• OpenAI hires Slack’s CEO as its chief revenue officer | The Verge
• You can buy your Instacart groceries without leaving ChatGPT | TechCrunch
• ChatGPT can now use Adobe apps to edit your photos and PDFs for free | The Verge
• Trump could introduce ‘mandatory’ social media reviews for travelers | The Verge
• SpaceX Said to Pursue 2026 IPO Raising Far Above $30 Billion - Bloomberg
• TIME Person of the Year 2025: How We Chose | TIME
• What Amazon’s New Flagship Kindle Scribe Colorsoft Gets Write

• (00:00) - Intro

The U.S. State Department has thoughts about fonts, as do we, and try to decide if the creator economy is in fact destroying the internet.

Watch this bonus episode on YouTube!

Calibri is too woke for the State Department | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/841664/calibri-is-too-woke-for-the-state-department

Daring Fireball: The Full Text of Marco Rubio’s Directive on State Department Typography, Re-Establishing Times New Roman
https://daringfireball.net/2025/12/full_text_of_marco_rubio_state_dept_directive_times_new_roman

How the creator economy destroyed the internet | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/cs/features/810002/influencers-creator-economy-special-series

Apple design chief Alan Dye exits for Meta, OpenAI sounds a “code red” as Google surges in AI, Sony A7V is out, Bending Spoons may be the tech world’s Thanos, and we rank Apple’s products, but correctly.

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Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder
------------------------------

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  use code PRIMARY for a free month of Framer Pro.
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------------------------------

Links from the show

• This Shortcut Will Give You the Year-End Recap that Apple Won’t
• Screen Time 2025 Shortcut
• YouTube 'Recap' is a video version of Spotify Wrapped
• Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays - MacRumors
• Apple design boss Alan Dye departing for Meta - 9to5Mac
• to commemorate alan dye moving from apple to meta, here's one of his best quotes
• Today we're establishing a new creative studio in Reality Labs led by Alan Dye, who has spent nearly 20 years leading design at Apple.
• Bending Spoons to acquire Eventbrite in $500M all-cash deal - Tech.eu
• OpenAI declares ‘code red’ as Google catches up in AI race | The Verge
• ChatGPT ads are on the way, but iPhone users can avoid them - 9to5Mac
• Hands-on: Sony’s A7 V uses a partially stacked sensor for silent shooting | The Verge
• Sony a7 V Review: The End Game - YouTube
• Sara Dietschy’s Sony Grid - Instagram
• Runway says its new text-to-video AI generator has ‘unprecedented’ accuracy | The Verge
• Only Good Use of AI - Instagram
• Apple unveils the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards - Apple
• The best Apple gadgets, ranked | The Verge
• The iPad's Software Problem Is Permanent - YouTube

• (00:00) - Intro

What’s expected when a company sends a product for review?

• Watch on YouTube!

Android Quick Share’s new AirDrop ability, OpenAI’s secretive hardware prototype, ChatGPT and Perplexity want to take over your online shopping, our tech gift guide, and we have a theory about Apple Intelligence…

Get Primary Tech Pins! $5 off with promo code BATTERYOFF

• Ad-Free + Bonus Episodes
• Show Notes via Email
• Watch on YouTube!
• Join the Community
• Email Us
• @stephenrobles on Threads
• @jasonaten on Threads

------------------------------

Sponsored by:

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• MasterClass - Get up to 50% OFF an annual membership at MasterClass! Sign up today at: masterclass.com/primarytech

------------------------------
Tech Gift Guide

• Apple AirPods 4
• ESR Car Mount Charger
• Anker Nano Portable Charger
• Apple AirTag 4 Pack
• Tracking Card Pro - Find My | Black
• The Wallace - Andar
• Anker European Travel Plug Adapter

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Links from the show

• Jason Aten (@jasonaten) on Instagram
• Apple Wasn't at F1 - Inc
• Android Quick Share can now work with iOS’s AirDrop
• AirDrop on Android - Inc
• Gurman: 'Few signs internally' point to Tim Cook stepping down
• OpenAI has hardware prototypes
• WWDC 2024 — June 10 | Apple - YouTube
• Flighty Interview - Inc
• David Smith, Maker of Widgetsmith Interview - Inc
• David Smith, Independent iOS Developer
• ChatGPT's new shopping research tool is fast, fun, and free - but can it out-shop me? | ZDNET
• Apple Can’t Ignore This Anymore - YouTube
• Perplexity says its AI personal shopper ‘puts you first’ | The Verge
• ChatGPT Voice and Text Mode
• You can now add Amazon returns to Apple Wallet!
• X Displays Users’ Locations, Fueling Scrutiny Over Political Accounts - The New York Times
• Hikawa Phone Grip

• (00:00) - Intro

Jason grills Stephen on his latest smart home tour, and we deep-dive on espresso makers.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Meross Smart Light Bulb
https://amazon.com/dp/B08P7GYC6B/?tag=beardedteac07-20

Philips Hue Twilight
https://amazon.com/dp/B0FRP91286/?tag=beardedteac07-20

Eve Aqua – Smart Water Controller
https://amazon.com/dp/B0B781WWHG/?tag=beardedteac07-20

meross WiFi Water Timer for Garden Hose
https://amazon.com/dp/B0DX6G7MSV/?tag=beardedteac07-20

What a Real Smart Home Can Actually Do - YouTube
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dmQIlIaKLNM

Ninja Luxe Café 3-in-1 Espresso
https://amazon.com/dp/B0D45PK5V4/?tag=beardedteac07-20

Breville Barista Pro Espresso Machine
https://amazon.com/dp/B08133HX34/?tag=beardedteac07-20

Nespresso Vertuo Creatista Coffee
https://amazon.com/dp/B0BXPFSMPL/?tag=beardedteac07-20