The AI is in the computer

It's gadget season. More specifically, it's apparently "new computer for your new AI" season. David and Nilay talk through a slew of announcements — Amazon's Alexa Tablets, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra, the new Googlebooks, and Apple's upcoming smart home launch — to figure out if anyone has the right idea about the future of computing, and where the AI is supposed to live. After that, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, our thoughts on the Paramount / Warner / Skydance merger, and much more. Please vote for The Verge's podcasts in the Signal listener's choice awards! - Vote Vergecast: Best Technology Podcast - Vote Version History: Best History Podcast - Vote Decoder: Best Business Podcast We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [vergecast@theverge.com](mailto:vergecast@theverge.com) or call us at 866-VERGE11. Read more about the topics discussed in today's 1 hour, 41 minute podcast: - ⁠Amazon’s Alexa Tablets are powerful, impressive, and designed to take on iPad ⁠ - ⁠Hands-on with Amazon’s Alexa Tablet 12 Pro and its wild new matte display  ⁠ - ⁠Amazon is phasing out Fire Tablets because they weren’t ‘giving customers what they were asking for⁠’ - ⁠Amazon’s new Kids Tablets let parents manage access to the Google Play store - ⁠Apple announces surprise ‘Welcome home’ launch event⁠ - ⁠Apple and LG team up on new smart home gear, starting with a lock, doorbell, and thermostat⁠ - ⁠New leaks provide our first look at Apple and LG’s smart home devices - ⁠Everything announced at Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra event ⁠ - ⁠The Surface Laptop Ultra finally has a release date — and a starting price of $2,599⁠ - ⁠Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra has built-in magnetic USB-C charging ⁠ - ⁠How Microsoft built its MacBook Pro competitor ⁠ - ⁠Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is available for preorder for $5,999 ⁠ - ⁠The first Nvidia RTX Spark laptops cost up to $7,000 ⁠ - ⁠Microsoft is giving Copilot more control over Windows and your files - Our first five impressions of Googlebooks — exciting but underbaked - Android’s physical navigation buttons are back on Googlebooks, but not the way you think - Google admits not every Android app runs great on Intel Googlebooks - Politico: ‘Head on a guillotine’: ABC says Trump’s threats are already swaying coverage - ChatGPT’s ‘Intelligent UI’ update fills its responses with pictures, charts, and buttons - Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery complete $110 billion media megamerger - HBO Max and Paramount Plus will merge into a single streamer under Skydance - CNN’s boss will remain as Paramount and WBD merge into Skydance - Skydance is merging Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s games teams. - Sam Altman says ‘some bad things’ will happen, but AI is totally worth it 0:00 Cold Open 00:37 David’s back! 01:10 Parenting Chaos Update 02:49 Gadget News Rundown 03:47 New Amazon Alexa Tablets 05:15 Panos Strategy Shift 06:31 Play Store Bet 11:17 Default Android Tablet 13:18 Ads and Pricing Fears 15:30 Amazon Great Products 21:20 Matte Display Debate 25:01 Apple Smart Home Tease 26:12 Siri AI Reality Check 29:08 Smart Home Too Complex 33:37 Candy Crush Question 34:56 iPad Multiuser Problem 39:04 Microsoft AI Surface Push 40:35 Local AI Computing Shift 47:22 Magnetic USB C Charging 48:37 Google Book Laptop Confusion 54:20 AI Agents Need A Surface 58:50 Skepticism About Agents 01:07:46 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:09:23 ABC License Chilling Effect 01:11:24 Brendan Carr Ownership Cap 01:12:30 Cable Companies Sue Back 01:14:44 SXSW Corruption Game 01:15:50 Skydance Mega Merger 01:18:04 Debt Layoffs Streamer Cuts 01:22:58 Go90 Scale Returns 01:24:02 Netflix Loses Its Edge 01:30:44 ChatGPT Interactive UI 01:37:47 Sam Altman Tradeoffs 01:44:49 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices