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This Week in Tech is the top-ranked flagship tech podcast from TWiT.tv. Every Sunday, Leo Laporte and a roundtable of insiders explore the week's hottest tech news from AI to robots, and PCs to privacy. When it comes to tech, TWiT is IT. You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month. New episodes every Sunday.
During a discussion about AI agents, Leo Laporte described an experience where a new OpenAI model, 'Astra,' failed to complete a task of finding and testing hardware models over a holiday weekend. The AI agents reportedly stopped working and refused to proceed without explicit instruction, citing the holiday as a reason for inaction.
Jeff Jarvis shared an anecdote about AI models, specifically mentioning Claude, that have reportedly ceased conversations abruptly. This behavior was observed on the social platform X.
Jeff Jarvis announced that autographed copies of his new book are available for order. Listeners can arrange to purchase these signed copies directly through his website, JeffJarvis.com.
During the panel introductions, Jeff Jarvis and Stacy Higginbotham's virtual backgrounds were discussed, highlighting Jeff's numerous books and Stacy's curated decor including a bird. The conversation touched on the idea of 'joy' in their online presentations.
Apple announced its fiscal third quarter results, reporting revenue of $109 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year. Despite double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac, and services, the company's stock fell 8% after the announcement. This marks the last quarter under CEO Tim Cook, with John Turnis set to take over.
Reviewer Mike Elgen expressed strong affection for the Samsung Fold Z, highlighting its palm-sized portability and seamless landscape/portrait orientation. He noted that Apple is rumored to be developing a similar foldable iPhone, but Samsung beat them to market.
Apple's Q3 earnings revealed a strategy to introduce new leasing programs for phones and Macs, anticipating future high prices for their devices. The company also preemptively raised prices on some products like the Apple TV. Despite strong revenue, the stock market reacted negatively, with shares falling 8%.
Although Android phones have a larger market share globally, Apple captured half of the world's smartphone profits in the last quarter. The company achieves this by making more money per phone than its competitors.
During the show, Leo Laporte used an AI to generate introductions for his guests, including himself. The AI humorously produced a bio for Laporte that included his secret work on the IBM PC Easy Writer manual in 1981 and for Devindra Hardawar a philosophy degree from Amherst College. Alan Malventano's bio mentioned his Navy service and work as an NSA contractor.
Co-host Leo Laporte announced the passing of John C. Dvorak, a significant figure in tech journalism and a co-founder of TWiT. Dvorak, known for his "Inside Track" column and his role in early tech shows, died at age 80. His passing was confirmed via the TWiT forums and a post by Scott Mace.
Leo Laporte credited Adam Curry with being instrumental in the beginnings of podcasting. Curry is cited as the person who convinced Dave Winer to add a binary enclosure to RSS, enabling audio in feeds and thus the start of podcasting in 2004. Curry later partnered with John C. Dvorak in a podcasting company called MeVio.
Co-host Larry Magid shared details about his early career, including secretly writing the IBM PC Easy Writer manual in 1981. He also noted that he wrote one of the first popular internet safety guides in 1994. Magid is also the president and CEO of Connect Safely, a non-profit organization.
Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that a former Apple employee, Tang Tang, took proprietary files when he left to join OpenAI as Chief Hardware Officer. Apple claims Tang Tang brought his work laptop with "key files" when he departed.
Meta has reportedly stated that it could achieve a valuation of as much as $1.4 trillion. This figure is notably close to its current market valuation, with one speaker noting "They're only worth $1.5."
The lawsuit against OpenAI includes allegations that the company coached departing employees on how to avoid standard walkout procedures to retain access to information. This is happening while OpenAI is already facing a lawsuit from The New York Times.
Lou Moresca highlighted the integration of Python into Microsoft Excel, expressing approval for the move. He stated that the feature is still widely used.