The Engadget Podcast

It's been a quiet week of news, but we've been feverishly testing Microsoft's new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop Copilot+ AI PCs. In this episode, Devindra and Sam will answer your questions about Microsoft’s new hardware, and we'll deliver some of our first impressions. It turns out Microsoft may have finally gotten Windows on Arm support right! And some of the Copilot+ AI features are actually useful, surprisingly enough. But we'll have to wait a few months to test out the controversial Recall feature, which was pulled from the Copilot+ launch.

Dev and Sam’s first thoughts and an AMA on the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop Copilot+ AI PCs – 1:05

News from Nintendo direct: New Zelda, Mario, and finally, Metroid Prime 4 – 25:46

Former OpenAI chief scientist launches Safe Superintelligence, inc – 35:02

Wired report: AI search engine Perplexity is ignoring robots.txt guidelines – 37:36

Listener question: What do you do with 8 gig fiber home internet? – 41:08

Working on – 46:51

Pop culture picks – 48:09

This week has felt like a month worth of news, now that we've wrapped up Apple's WWDC 2024 and Summer Game Fest in LA. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss their final thoughts on Apple Intelligence and the company's upcoming software, and they chat about some of our coverage highlights from the pseudo-E3 Game Fest. Also, we dive into X making likes private (what is Elon hiding?!) and the news around Sony buying the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain.

Our final thoughts on WWDC 2024 – 1:31

Bloomberg Report: Apple isn't paying OpenAI a fee for ChatGPT, but will share profits – 12:18

Summer Games Fest highlights: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, LEGO Horizon Adventures, and an Assassin’s Creed finally set in Japan – 25:06

X makes users’ likes private – 40:27

ChromeOS will soon run on Android frameworks, enabling more AI on upcoming Chromebooks – 44:40

Pop culture picks – 49:44

There was no new Apple hardware at WWDC 2024, but Apple still had tons of news around AI and its upcoming operating systems. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra brave the California heat to discuss Apple Intelligence and how it's different than other AI solutions. And they dive into other new features they're looking forward to, like the iPhone mirroring in macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18's surprisingly cool Calculator app.

We're gearing up to cover Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week! In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into everything they expect at WWDC: Tons of AI announcements; more on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15; and hopefully some improvements for Vision Pro and visionOS.

In addition, we chat about what we expect to see at Summer Game Fest and demonstrate how we used an AI editing tool to clear up some awful podcast audio. Devindra also talks with Justin Samuels, the founder of RenderATL, about why he started a massive tech conference in Atlanta.

WWDC 2024 Preview: Apple gets serious about generative AI – 1:16

NVIDIA overtakes Apple to be the 2nd most valuable company in the US – 31:08

Humane AI warns users its battery case “may pose a fire risk” – 34:36

AI workers demand stronger whistleblower protections – 34:36

Boeing’s Starliner has successfully launched astronauts to the ISS – 46:11

AI audio cleanup has gotten really good and we have podcast clips to prove it – 48:25

Working on – 58:09

Pop culture picks – 58:45

Interview with Render ATL founder Justin Samuels – 1:05:50

This week, Devindra and Engadget's Nathan Ingraham discuss the new Max documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash" and reminisce about the early days of that wild startup. It was a huge mess in the end, but we wouldn't have subscription plans in theaters without it. We also chat with MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes, as well as the documentary's director, Muta'Ali, about the film.

In other news, Nate explains why Google is adding a slew of AI features to Chromebook Plus notebooks, and we dive into the Fitbit Ace with LTE, which has the potential to be a very useful smartwatch tracker for kids.

Moviepass, MovieCrash interview with CEO Stacy Spikes and director Muta'Ali – 1:33

Chromebook Plus laptops are getting AI features soon – 41:43

WWDC is scheduled for June 10 – 56:26

Cherlynn’s Fitbit Ace LTE hands-on : a fitness tracker for kids! – 59:55

Sony pulls “fabricated” interview with Last of Us creator Neil Druckman – 1:03:44

Vox Media and The Atlantic magazine made content deals with OpenAI – 1:08:06

OpenAI’s new safety team includes members of the company’s board and Sam Altman himself – 1:13:30

Listener Mailbag: Windows screen readers on ARM and the iPad as a full-fledged work machine – 1:14:41

Working on – 1:23:24

Pop culture picks – 1:25:10

Microsoft is leaning even more into AI after launching a new Copilot+ AI PC initiative earlier this year. It's a new set of standards for PCs with powerful neural processing units (NPUs), and it could be just as significant for Windows as Apple's move towards its M-series chips. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss Copilot+ and the potential rise of Arm-based Windows systems, and we dive into the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.

Microsoft announces a new chapter with Copilot+ and NPU-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop – 0:51

Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI is just getting started – 37:17

Sonos Ace headphones take aim at Apple’s AirPods Max – 42:15

US Department of Justice makes its first arrest for AI-generated CSAM – 45:50

Bloomberg Report: Humane AI seeks a buyer for $700m–$1B, but will they get it? – 47:21

Listener Mail: Could you port the new ARM-based Windows to your Android handheld? – 51:42

Working on – 53:11

Pop culture picks – 54:19

Microsoft made some unusually major moves ahead of its Build developer conference: It announced a new Copilot+ initiative for powerful AI PCs, which will be led by the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. These machines are powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, and they come with a special version of Windows 11 optimized for Arm mobile chips and AI. Basically, Microsoft is doing for PCs what Apple did with its M-series Macs four years ago.

In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's head of Windows and Devices, about the new Surface devices and the Copilot+ PC initiative. We still don't know how well these new machines will perform, but it sounds like Microsoft has certainly heard our complaints about Arm-based Windows devices.

We've spent some time with the iPad Pro M4 and new iPad Air... and the iPad Pro is still a bit too pricey for us. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham about his reviews and why he still prefers the iPad Air. Also, we wrap up Google I/O 2024 with a Project Astra hands on, and we chat about Apple bringing eye tracking to iPhones and iPads as an accessibility feature.

Nate Ingraham reviews the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air: Powerful, but pricy – 1:11

Google I/O news wrap up – 20:11

OpenAI’s new GPT-4o can talk, sing, and sounds a little flirty – 28:36

Intel brings back the days of FireWire data transfer with Thunderbolt Share – 31:43

New accessibility features from Apple: eye tracking and expanded wake word options – 35:48

Biden administration quadruples tariffs on Chinese EVs (along with solar and other hardware) – 43:20

Listener Mailbag: The age old question of what to do with your old tech – 55:48

Working on – 1:01:32

Pop culture picks – 1:05:45

We just wrapped up coverage on Google's I/O 2024 keynote, and we're just so tired of hearing about AI. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the biggest I/O news: Google's intriguing Project Astra AI assistant; new models for creating video and images; and some improvements to Gemini AI. While some of the announcements seem potentially useful, it's still tough to tell if the move towards AI will actually help consumers, or if Google is just fighting to stay ahead of OpenAI.

Hulu's "Black Twitter: A People's History" documents the rise and impact of one of social media's most influential subcultures. The series, directed by TV writer Prentice Penny, is a reminder of the power of Twitter before its Musk-ified downfall, and a necessary cultural document. They say Twitter isn't real life, but Black Twitter proved otherwise. In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with Prentice about adapting the Wired article, "A People's History of Black Twitter," his own favorite social media memories, and where the legacy of Black Twitter will go from here.