TWiT 1033: Our Friend Zinc - Apple's $900 Million Tariff Nightmare

7 snips

May 26, 2025

Guest

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a smart home expert at The Verge, shares insights on the quirky Roborock vacuum that occasionally snatches socks—and perhaps pets! Brian McCullough, the Internet historian, discusses the implications of Trump's tariffs on Apple’s manufacturing decisions. Mike Elgan, an AI enthusiast, dives into Microsoft's groundbreaking agentic AI advancements. They also explore the rise of hyper-realistic AI videos, the future of personal privacy in tech, and the decline of CAPTCHAs. It's a tech-infused dialogue brimming with wit and critical reflections!

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INSIGHT

Apple's Tariff Dilemma

Trump's 25% tariff on iPhones to force manufacturing in the US is economically unrealistic.
It would triple iPhone prices and disrupt global supply chains, benefiting no one.

ANECDOTE

Roborock Sock-Picking Vacuum

Jennifer reviewed the $2,600 Roborock robot vacuum with an arm that picks up socks but not shoes well.
The vacuum tidies slowly and impresses but still requires manual intervention and isn’t ready for prime time.

INSIGHT

Agentic AI Advances Science

Microsoft's agentic AI platform speeds scientific discovery by autonomously researching and inventing new compounds.
This practical application of AI could revolutionize fields like materials science and medicine.

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Ready Player One

Trivia-on-Books Staff

In 'Ready Player One', Ernest Cline introduces Wade Watts, an 18-year-old living in a dystopian future where people escape their harsh reality through the OASIS, a vast virtual reality world. The story revolves around Wade's quest to find an Easter egg hidden by the OASIS's creator, James Halliday, which would grant the finder immense wealth and control over the OASIS. Wade, known as Parzival in the OASIS, must compete against other 'gunters' and the corporate-sponsored Sixers to achieve this goal. The novel is filled with 1980s pop culture references, adventure, and social commentary, making it a deeply engaging and nostalgic read.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy

Douglas Adams

The book follows Arthur Dent, an ordinary Englishman, whose house and planet are about to be demolished. He is rescued by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien researcher for the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. Together, they embark on a journey through space, encountering various characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed president of the galaxy, Trillian, a human woman, and Marvin, a paranoid android. The story involves their adventures on the spaceship Heart of Gold, which has an Infinite Improbability Drive, and their quest to understand the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, which is revealed to be '42'. The novel is known for its humor, satire, and imaginative storytelling.

Neuromancer

William Gibson

Published in 1984, 'Neuromancer' is a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre. The novel revolves around Case, a skilled hacker who was once the best in his field but was crippled by his former employer after he tried to steal from them. Case is recruited by a mysterious employer named Armitage for a high-stakes mission that involves hacking into the highly secure systems of the Tessier-Ashpool family. Joined by a diverse group of allies, including the cyborg Molly and the performance artist Peter Riviera, Case must navigate the complexities of cyberspace and the real world to merge two powerful artificial intelligences, Wintermute and Neuromancer. The book explores themes of technology, identity, and the blurring of lines between the physical and virtual worlds[1][2][5].

Discworld

Glen Edridge

Murderbot

Martha Wells

In this jam-packed episode celebrating Towel Day, the TWiT crew dives into Apple's terrible week with Trump's tariff threats, Google and Microsoft's latest AI advances, the death of CAPTCHAs, and some wild new tech including laser-powered smart homes and sock-picking robot vacuums.

Trump's Phone Tariff Ultimatum - President threatens 25% tariffs on iPhones and Samsung devices unless manufacturing moves to the US, putting Apple in an impossible position between economics and politics
The Sock-Stealing Robot Revolution - Jennifer tests a $2,600 Roborock vacuum with an arm that picks up socks and occasionally tries to grab cats
Microsoft's AI Science Breakthrough - Microsoft Build showcases agentic AI platform that helped create new coolant liquids by analyzing scientific journals and generating novel molecular compounds
Windows Goes Agentic - Microsoft announces MCP protocol integration into Windows, raising both excitement about AI capabilities and concerns about data security
Gaming Industry Consolidation - FTC finally drops its challenge to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition after three years of failed legal battles
Meta's Monopoly Defense Strategy - Company argues that Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions were beneficial rather than anti-competitive, as antitrust trial concludes
Google's Hyper-Realistic AI Videos - Veo 3 generates convincing fake videos that blur the line between reality and AI creation, raising concerns about misinformation
Revenge Porn Legislation Concerns - New "Take It Down" Act passes with bipartisan support but raises censorship worries about its 48-hour removal requirements
Smart Glasses Make a Comeback - Google announces Android XR partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, signaling the return of consumer AR eyewear
The $6.5 Billion AI Hardware Gamble - OpenAI's record-breaking acquisition of Jony Ive's design firm sparks debate about whether AI needs dedicated hardware devices
Amazon's Smart Speaker Surveillance - Investigation reveals how much personal data Echo devices collect and store, highlighting the privacy costs of convenient AI assistants
The Death of CAPTCHAs - AI now solves visual puzzles better than humans, making traditional bot-detection methods obsolete and forcing a rethink of online security
America Abandons the Penny - The US will stop minting pennies due to production costs exceeding face value, ending a century-old currency tradition
Air Traffic Control Crisis Exposed - Newark Airport's radar failures reveal America's dangerously outdated aviation infrastructure held together by 1990s technology and hope
Fortnite's App Store Victory - Epic Games successfully returns to iOS after Apple quickly capitulates under legal pressure, ending years of bitter disputes
Brain-Computer Interface Competition - Valve's Gabe Newell announces Neuralink competitor, expanding the race to connect human brains directly to computers
Infrared Contact Lenses Enable Night Vision - Researchers develop contacts that let wearers see heat signatures even with eyes closed, promising superhuman vision capabilities
23andMe's Genetic Data Gold Rush - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals acquires the DNA testing company for $256 million, raising questions about genetic privacy and
Stolen

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1033

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Brian McCullough, and Mike Elgan

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