The iPhone Duo should have been an iPad
Summary
The Vergecast hosts debate the iPhone Duo review, with Nilay Patel defending his seven score as a "fun" first-generation product while Neel argues it is the "worst iPhone ever made" due to its $2,000 price tag and broken app ecosystem. They discuss the three stages of app optimization on the foldable, noting that many updates are "vibe-coded" and still broken, and compare the device to a "Corvette" rather than a standard iPhone. The episode also covers a global internet crisis caused by AI agents discovering critical PHP vulnerabilities, which allowed attackers to exploit memory errors at s…
Topics discussed
Sponsors and intro: The 'No Sevens' plan
iPhone Duo review: Initial impressions and scoring
App optimization issues and developer criticism
John Gruber's review: 'Worst iPhone ever made'
Hardware vs. software: The foldable compromise
App Store future and shipping delays
iPhone Duo as an iPad: Device identity crisis
Apple's innovation strategy and AI interface
Sponsors: AWS, Bitwarden, and Atlassian
PHP vulnerability: AI finds critical security flaw
The global internet crisis and patching race
Offensive vs. defensive AI arms race
AI shopping agents: Muse and Amazon friction
Ticket scalping and DDoS-like AI behavior
Muse user experience and business model shifts
Instagram's internal conflict with Meta AI
Sponsors: Ring and IDRA
Brendan Carr segment: FCC threats to broadcasters
Lightning Round: Arc browser shutdown and Dia
Lightning Round: Meta terms of service update
Lightning Round: Netflix strategy and appointment viewing
Lightning Round: Gemini fragmentation and sign-off
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