Download: Recent Episodes
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What are the most important technology stories right now? From products and companies to services and trends, Download’s weekly panel of experts analyzes the biggest topics in tech … and a few you may have missed. Hosted by Jason Snell and Stephen Hackett.
Apple releases public betas a bit earlier than we expected, Bill Gates muses on Microsoft's missed opportunity and the power of tech giants, WebOS just keeps on keeping on, and we're all going to need a fuzzy puppy update this week because this is the final episode of Download.
Facebook's cryptocurrency move, 5G in rural areas, Google steals lyrics, Apple hedges on China, JJ Abrams cuts a big deal with Warner Media, Snapchat's original programming strategy, and much more.
The tech industry has a lot to apologize for, the Huawei mess escalates, and is Apple still thinking about autonomous vehicles?
From Apple's podcast studio within its Worldwide Developer Conference, we're joined by John Siracusa and Shelly Brisbin to discuss iPadOS, iOS, Catalyst, SwiftUI, and Apple's new pro hardware.
The increasingly messy tech Cold War, Apple's keyboard troubles, the prospects for data protection laws in the U.S., and Wi-Fi stalking on the Tube.
Apple gets a bad Supreme Court ruling, Disney buys the rest of Hulu, and Florence Ion joins us to discuss last week's Google IO, including the Pixel 3a and the fate of all our Nest thermostats.
Philip Michaels joins us to talk about interesting things in Apple's latest financial results, the death of a product that never existed, and Facebook's F8 product announcements.
Carolina Milanesi joins Jason to discuss her time using an unbroken Samsung Galaxy Fold, Tim Cook talking up tech regulation, Jack Dorsey visiting the White House, and the words tech writers use to describe Pinterest.
Apple and Qualcomm make up over fried chicken, social-media companies continue to not get it, and the Galaxy Fold makes a very bad first impression.
Netflix ties its own hands, new Kindles arrive, Amazon gets criticized for cozying up to oil companies while touting its own green-energy efforts, web accessibility is trickier than you'd think, and... is that a black hole?
Apple's News+ pitch failed with key newspapers--but Facebook might value news curation now? Future iPhones come into focus, but Apple's 5G timeline is called into question. Dell's new XPS laptop is a winner. And the "hearables" category (by which we mean wireless headphones) heats up.
Apple's big services event leads us to discuss Apple TV+, Apple Card, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+; in other news, we touch on the perils of offering a service that lets random people upload content--especially in the European Union.
Google unveils a cloud gaming strategy at GDC, Apple releases all the product updates, Instagram goes shopping, and MySpace deletes all your favorite music from 2009.
The complicated reality of trying to break up the power of large tech companies, Spotify takes on Apple, Apple sets its sights on services, and takiing lessons from "Captain Marvel."
Fitbit unveils new low-cost fitness trackers, Apple goes hiring in Qualcomm's backyard, Zuck has a vision for private conversations, and we bring in our Special Automotive Correspondent to discuss electric car announcements.
Mobile World Congress brings folding phones, battery phones, camera phones, 5G machinations, and a new business-oriented HoloLens. Plus there's a robot on the streets of Memphis, and maybe Netflix is bringing the world closer together?
We cover Samsung's big event, including new flagship phones, a low-cost model that should have a lot of crowd appeal, a perplexing 5G variant, and the device everyone's talking about, the unfoldable smartphone.
What happens when a tech giant buys the company that makes a product you like? Also: Some ugly labor issues in the tech and journalism industries, Apple plans a services event, Samsung readies new phones including one that folds, and Amazon ditches NYC for HQ2.
Jason and Stephen discuss Apple's retail changes and Facebook's 15th anniversary. Then Natalie Jarvey of The Hollywood Reporter visits to discuss Spotify spending a lot of money on podcasting companies, and Jeremy Burge of Emojipedia unveils the new emoji coming later in 2019.
Apple copes with declining iPhone sales and a bad FaceTime bug, then ends up coming down hard on Facebook for its misuse of a tool designed to read user data. Also, there's an imaginary bear in the woods... or is there?
Robots roll out, smartphones get weird, Apple Pay expands, Netflix gets Oscar nominations and joins the MPAA, NBC Universal gets into streaming, and Tesla puts the squeeze on its customers.
Apple's battery replacement saga and the parable of the infinite home appliance; Facebook and WordPress try to help journalism; Netflix raises prices; and with Vegas in the rear-view mirror, we ponder the biggest trends of CES with two people who actually braved the industry's largest trade show.
The Consumer Electronics Show is, as always, a flood of new technology, corporate announcements, products that will never ship, and embarrassing garbage. How better to sum it all up than with a draft? In this episode, we choose the top stories of the week, then move on to pick some vaporware and the worst story of the show. But don't worry, in the end we've got some fuzzy CES puppies to cheer you up. Is that fresh bread I smell?
In this special New Years Day episode, we look back at the biggest trends of 2018, review some stories you might have missed along the way, and make a few bold predictions for 2019.
2018 ends with a lot of grim dystopia type stuff involving social media services and the synergy power of media companies and internet providers. Meanwhile, Apple takes the unlikely step of lowering its ecosystem walls and adding Apple Music to Amazon Echo devices. We're going to need a lot of fuzzy puppies for this one.
Google's CEO gets grilled by Congress; Instagram gets a new product leader; Apple does a bunch of stuff; and Supermicro defends itself against Bloomberg. Plus we honor the 50th anniversary of the "Mother of all Demos", Casey hasn't seen "My Cousin Vinny", we try to save journalism and fail, and a puppy emerges from a box!
Qualcomm rolls out 5G cellular networking at a Hawaiian resort; Tumblr bans sexual imagery and nudity; Apple fails emoji biology; and streaming services consider inserting ads into paused video.
The App Store goes before the Supreme Court, Amazon embraces ARM servers, and we discuss the amazing life and business lessons of IDG founder Pat McGovern.
Amazon finishes its 'Bachelor'-style courting of US cities; Samsung makes us ponder whether foldable phones will ever be a thing; and YouTube decries the EU's new copyright declaration.
Samsung shows off a foldable phone prototype, Apple grows its services revenue and ships new products, Amazon gets into print catalogs and embraces the east coast, Comcast builds a cable box for cord cutters, and we mourn a couple of casualties of the streaming-service wars to come.
This week it's all about Apple's event in New York. What does the iPad Pro tell us about how Apple's software effort is lagging behind its hardware design? The MacBook Air enters an already confusing set of Apple laptops. We have a Mac Mini sighting! And the prices of Apple products keep cranking higher and higher...
Apple's CEO speaks out in favor of regulating online privacy, while his company plans an iPad and Mac product event for next week; Tesla's quarterly results suggest that things are looking up for electric cars; and another Oculus executive departs as we question the future prospects of VR tech.
This week there's strange news from the phone world as Essential circles the drain while Palm climbs back out of the drain with a strange new accessory smartphone; Adobe embraces the iPad at last with a new version of Photoshop; Amazon refreshes the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader; and Google has to follow some intriguing new rules for Android in the EU.
Google unloads a bunch of new hardware, including the Google Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, the Pixel Slate, and the Home Hub; a major security flaw in Google+ leads Google to kill the entire product off; Magic Leap ships something; and taco-related news is more interesting than we initially thought.
This was a big week for Microsoft, with new Surface hardware and some big announcements about how Windows will work better with Android. There was also scary news about servers being infected by spy hardware that could compromise privacy and security. Happy National Taco Day! 🌮
Microsoft sets its eyes on the cloud and suddenly finds itself on the side of the angels; Instagram's founders leave their creation in Mark Zuckerberg's hands; and Oculus debuts a new standalone VR headset.
Apple updates most of its operating systems, and prepares to ship its new iPhones and Apple Watches; Elon Musk announces a trip around the moon while also getting some unwanted scrutiny from the government; and Amazon announces a slew of new Echo-powered products.
Apple's event nears, but the rumored names for its new iPhones are really weird; young people are abandoning Facebook in droves; social-media giants spend a day in the barrel on Capitol Hill; and Evernote loses much of its executive team amid rumors it's circling the drain.
Apple rumor season is in full swing, Google brings "digital well-being" to YouTube viewing stats, Uber embraces scooters and ebikes, and conservatives complain about Google having a liberal bias.
Graphics cards get way better; the App Store comes under criticism; and Facebook spends another week in the news. Plus we've got some operating-system nostalgia and some exciting news about tacos.
This week we learn that our apps may be watching us far more than we might have expected, imagine a wacky buddy comedy featuring two voice assistants who have to live together in a single device, observe Twitch and YouTube fighting over streaming stars, and count how many app subscriptions we've got.
Several tech giants move to ban a guy who peddles conspiracies and snake oil from their platforms, while Twitter doesn't; MoviePass nears death, but everything may still be a service and the movies still need a shot in the arm; and Samsung rolls out a new Note, watch, and smart speaker.
Google may be returning to the (censored) search business in China, YouTube Premium and Facebook Watch face the icy stares of skeptical TV critics; and Apple breaks a trillion but still has trouble with the Mac.
Apple's much-criticized MacBook Pro weathers a weeklong PR crisis; Google makes money but struggles with its identity; and Facebook continues to have a really bad year.
Google gets fined, swallows Nest whole, and plots its next-generation operating system. In other news, there are new moons and even newer emojis. 😎
Is Microsoft's new Surface a laptop or tablet, and what it does it mean for the future of computing? Also, HBO's new owner AT&T wants to make it more like Netflix, and we celebrate 10 years of the App Store.
Companies love buying other companies; Disney and Amazon are making big moves this week, while Apple is getting serious about midterm election news coverage and nerds get to play with beta software all summer.
Tech finds itself in the middle of a U.S.-China trade war and discovers that taking on governmental clients might make employees uncomfortable. Also, Instagram dives into longform video.
We list our favorite game announcements from E3, ponder the industry trend toward consolidation, watch as Twitter continues to rearrange deckchairs, celebrate Tennesseean supercomputers, and then Jason tries to mend the hearts he broke during last week's Fuzzy Puppy Update.
Live from Apple's developer conference in San Jose, we're joined by some Apple experts to discuss iOS and macOS announcements. Plus Amazon and Sonos make some home theater announcements.
Google's struggle with AI and military projects, Plex expands to podcasting, and we talk the joys of mechanical keyboards with one of the editors from The Wirecutter.
Elon Musk reacts badly to media criticism of Tesla's products and labor practices; The Obamas get a production deal with Netflix; Comcast tries to snipe Disney in a bid for Fox; and cities move to tax their local tech giants. This week's Download is totally GDPR compliant.
Microsoft has a Surface so big you can hang it on a wall, and is making one small enough to take on Chromebooks and iPads. Meanwhile, Twitter tries to fight trolls with algorithms and continues to tighten the screws on third-party Twitter apps.
This week brought developer conferences from Google and Microsoft, and with them came a lot of news. We discuss Google's commitment to "digital well-being", updates to Google Assistant, an unnerving phone call from a robot, Microsoft's snuggling up to your iPhones and Android devices, and there's potential fraud in the land of fuzzy puppies.
T-Mobile and Sprint take another run at merging together; Facebook releases its standalone VR headset, gets into the dating game, and offers some data opt outs; and the gig economy takes a body blow.
Google fails to get the message about texting privacy, Amazon's got home robots and is now letting people open your car, and on this podcast's first birthday we consider some trends we've noticed over the past year.
The U.S. takes on ZTE, Russia takes on Telegram, San Francisco takes on scooters, and video-streaming services take on your wallet.
Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington, Apple goes all in on renewable energy, Hulu and Spotify rebuild the bundle, Snap gives it a second try, and Google releases its own fuzzy-puppy update.
Intel unveils new mobile chips, Apple dumps Intel, Google loses its AI chief to Apple, and Microsoft reorgs Windows. All that, plus scooters litter the streets of San Francisco, drones are crashing all around us, oh the humanity!
Apple goes back to school, but will it make any difference in its battle with Chromebooks? Microsoft unveils a game subscription service, because we live in the era of subscription services. And Facebook has another bad week.
Facebook made us all think about the power of social media and the value of our personal data this week, but was Mark Zuckerberg's response enough? In equally heavy news, the first autonomous vehicle fatality happened this week. And finally, Apple's retargeting the education market.
The U.S. government kills the Broadcom/Qualcomm merger, Apple buys a magazine subscription service, and Facebook and YouTube take stands of a sort against questionable posts on the Internet.
Into a somewhat boring smartphone market comes our first glance at Android P, MoviePass gets caught tracking its users, iPhone app development turns 10, and is that a creepy laugh coming from the Amazon Echo?
This week we analyze many of the phone announcements from Mobile World Congress, including a new Samsung Galaxy and the return of a phone you may remember from a film made in the previous century. Plus, Amazon is knocking on Google's door by acquiring all the Internet doorbell companies.
Twitter is banning a bunch of bot accounts (again) and Microsoft is struggling to shed legacy technology in Windows (again), while the next flagship smartphone has been leaked (again).
Apple's software quality may have caught up with it, while Snapchat is dealing with the fallout of its recent redesign. All the while, Facebook is doing Facebook things and we really need a fuzzy puppy update.
It's corporate results season, so we check in on how things are going at all the tech giants, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix. Oh, and a billionaire shot a sportscar into space.
It's a weird week in tech news: A fitness app leaked the location of secret military bases, Amazon and a bunch of pals got into healthcare, someone in the Trump Administration fired up PowerPoint to propose nationalizing the 5G wireless network, and the world waited (or didn't) for the Apple HomePod.
After a long delay, Apple prepares the HomePod for release, but who (if anyone) is buying? Long lines greeted the opening of Amazon's new automated store that's supposed to do away with lines, but what's the endgame? Plus we've got good news about machine-learning cybersecurity and viral bird videos.
We discuss the top trends at CES 2018 with two survivors of the show, plus Facebook makes big news feed changes, Apple brings money home, and networking is harder than it looks.
It's CES week, so there's a lot to talk about in the world of voice assistants, robots that may not be robots, cars, impractical televisions, smart bathrooms, and more.
A new year brings big tech news stories, including a huge security flaw in almost every microprocessor out there, and Apple doing damage control with a discounted iPhone battery replacement program. And our panelists predict major trends in the tech world for the rest of the year.
Disney has set shockwaves through the media world with its proposed purchase of Fox. What does it mean for streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, not to mention whatever Apple is up to? How can Bart Simpson and Mickey Mouse coexist under one brand?
A former Facebook executive bemoans the world he helped create, and Patreon goes back on its controversial change in how it collects money. In lighter news, Stephen is looking at a 21st-century Clapper and Jason is ordering an iMac Pro.
Microsoft returns to ARM with Windows 10 running on Qualcomm chips, Amazon and Google get into a slap fight (while Prime Video sneaks on to the Apple TV), and Bitcoin continues to rise into the stratosphere.
We're recovering from Black Friday and Cyber Monday with two members of the Wirecutter staff and talking about what cities are doing to woo Amazon's HQ2 and Net Neutrality.
It's a holiday in the United States, so we've gone international this week. We discuss 2017's flagship smartphones and their various compromises, American biases in the tech industry, and whether tech makes good gifts.
Wearable tech that can make us healthier or save our lives, a potential renewal of the debate of government access to encrypted data, and how Facebook knows everything about you even if you're not on Facebook. Plus, Jason pours one out for CompuServe.
2017's flagship smartphones are all out, and the dust is starting to settle. In the desert, driverless vehicles are taking to public roads with mixed luck. And Snap works to dig itself out of bad quarterly results.
The iPhone X is almost here, and we've got three people who have one in their hands. Plus, what's the deal with Apple's iPhone X PR strategy? Meanwhile in D.C., tech companies are facing down Congress.
It's a week of big questions: The Google Pixel 2 XL is showing all sorts of screen issues, but how big of a deal are the problems really going to be in the market? Is Amazon Key the utopian dream or creepy nightmare? Who's ordering an iPhone X?
Windows 10 gets an update, the choice between compatibility and security, the future of Microsoft, and Wi-Fi security gets KRACKed wide open.
A postmortem of Windows Phone, tech companies continue to write big checks to the entertainment industry, and the Google Home Mini triggers our concerns about cameras and microphones in our homes.
The Made By Google event takes center stage next week, as Google unveils the Pixel 2 (and 2 XL), wireless earbuds, a new AI-driven camera, and a premium Chrome OS laptop. Plus there's intelligent assistant news from Sonos, which hooked up with Amazon's Alexa this week.
In Seattle, Amazon held a surprise media event and unveiled all the Echoes. In Orlando, Microsoft held its Ignite conference, sharing information on new products as well as its vision for the future.
Hands on with the iPhone 8 (and an iPhone X imposter), Google absorbs part of HTC, and Wirecutter editors discuss the art of the modern product review.
It's Apple's biggest week of the year. But announcing the iPhone 8 and iPhone X simultaneously is a risky move for the company to make. Also, what's the value of a cellular-connected Apple Watch, and does Apple's Apple TV 4K strategy make sense?
Silicon Valley companies are back in the political arena with their reactions to DACA. Meanwhile, Apple and Amazon are in a bidding war over James Bond while the Boston Red Sox are cheating using their Apple Watches.
The world of voice assistants gets more complicated with an Alexa-Cortana link-up, Google counters Apple's augmented-reality toolkit with an announcement of its own, and Berlin's IFA trade show brings announcements of new smartwatches and mobile PCs.
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Note 8. Is the pent-up demand from Note fans enough to move things past last year's disaster? Meanwhile, Apple is reported to be dialing back its self-driving car project, and Jason and Stephen are still thinking about the eclipse they witnessed earlier this week.
With smartphones and live streams, we can all watch the news unfold in real time, but at what cost? Insurance companies are offering discounts for data, and we all wonder what's going on with Facebook Marketplace.
This week we discuss the sexist Google "manifesto" and its aftermath, as well as Disney's announcement that it's launching two different streaming services.
It's phone season! Apple spilled the beans on the next iPhone and Samsung prepares to reintroduce the Note brand after last year's debacle. And Apple reports iPad growth, but is it too late for the tablet market?
This week we talk a lot about how technology has changed how we consume movies and television. Is Netflix elbowing out the traditional movie theater? How many different video streaming services do we really need? And we pour one out for the iPod--but not for Adobe Flash.
Google asks for our input to help filter what it shows us, but are we tainting machine learning with our own biases? Also: Why the future of video games is, surprisingly, in the past.
Shopping holidays and how consumers can tell the good deals from the bad; high-end smartphones and the tech journalists who love them; and a lump of coal in your Prime Day stocking by the name of Net Neutrality.
The rise of electric cars and the future of the personal vehicle market, the ability (or lack of same) for free websites with huge audiences to make money and be profitable, and another ugly week for the culture of the tech industry.
Ten years ago, the original iPhone went on sale, launching the smartphone market as we know it today. More recently, the EU fined Google 2.4 billion euros in an antitrust case, and the Amazon Echo Show has shipped to customers.
Amazon is looking to push organic kale with its purchase of Whole Foods, while also taking on clothing subscription services with a new apparel box service. Over at Apple, an internal meeting about secrecy leaked to the press. Oh, sweet irony.
It's E3 week! Microsoft unveiled its 4K console (we're calling it 'Xb1x') while Nintendo stocked up on Switch games and Sony promised a bunch of new stuff for the PS4. Plus, our panel of games experts shares their favorite news items to come out of the week.
It's Apple's big week, and so it's time for us to look at Apple's new connected speaker, the company's renewed focus on the iPad (and what it means for both the Mac and Windows), and its major step forward in bringing augmented-reality tech to developers.
Andy Rubin unveiled his new phone (and company) this week at the Code Conference. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court rules on our rights to the products we buy and Uber's latest bad news makes us wonder about the freedom to change jobs.
Microsoft is back in the news with another updated device, the topic of on-campus daycare in Silicon Valley raises questions about work/life balance, and patent trolls have been dealt a big blow by the U.S. Supreme Court.
This week, Google held its annual developer conference. It brought a bunch of news about Assistant, Home and Photos, and plenty of AI! Meanwhile, the WannaCry attack exploits old software to bring PCs around the world to a grinding halt.
It's another week, and Amazon has another Echo for preorder. Microsoft's Build keynote brings changes to Windows 10 and how it interacts with the wider world, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering a ban on electronics larger than phones on flights across the Atlantic.
Microsoft's new Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S, the future of TV and cord-cutting as seen by streaming services and cable companies, Facebook hiring thousands of people to detect disturbing content, and recent quarterly earnings from three tech giants.
This week's panel discusses the Amazon Echo Look and the future of online retail, our value as consumers when companies resell our data, and what went wrong with that Internet-connected juice dispenser.