Nilay’s AI Thesis: The Smart Home as Canary

Nilay’s back! And you can listen to The Vergecast with no ads, if you’re a Verge subscriber! Big week, really. Nilay and David start the show by talking about ads, podcasts, platforms, and subscriptions. Then they talk a bunch about Apple’s new M5-powered MacBook, iPad, and Vision Pro, and whether a chip bump is worth getting excited about. After that, Nilay reflects on a summer of using AI products, and explains why you can tell the whole story of this generation of AI just by talking about the smart home. Finally, in the lightning round, the hosts talk about AI song covers, Apple TV, TiVo, Roku, Cybertrucks, and the exploding Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

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Further reading:

• Ad-free Verge podcasts have arrived

• Netflix is making a big bet on video podcasts

• Apple’s 2025 iPad Pro comes with an M5 chip inside 

• Apple just upgraded the Vision Pro with an M5 chip and new strap 

• Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro gets an M5 chip bump and faster storage 

• Logitech made an Apple Pencil-like stylus for the Vision Pro 

• Apple’s rumored smart home display hub might start at $350 

• Samsung officially teases Moohan headset launch for next week 

• Apple’s future smart glasses could have two separate UIs. 

• ChatGPT will soon help you shop at Walmart. 

• How OpenAI plans to make all its money. 

• Microsoft wants you to talk to your PC and let AI control it 

•  As Microsoft bids farewell to Windows 10, millions of users won’t 

• Spotify says it’s working with labels on ‘responsible’ AI music tools 

• DirecTV will soon bring AI ads to your screensaver 

• OpenAI partners with Broadcom to produce its own AI chips 

• Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults 

• Apple TV Plus is being rebranded to… Apple TV 

• Apple exec on Apple TV rebranding: ‘let’s just do it’

• Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first to ‘go up in smoke during a bend test,’ JerryRigEverything says

• Roku’s AI-upgraded voice assistant can answer questions about what you’re watching 

• DirecTV will soon bring AI ads to your screensaver 

• Soul Against the Machine

• TiVo has sold its last DVR 

• Tesla Cybertruck sales are flatlining 

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