Metaverse Episodes

Apple hasn’t forgotten about the Mac Mini. Amazon’s first stock split since the dotcom era. Tinder leans into background checks as a service. Hands on with the new Magic Leap 2 AR glasses. And forget about delivery by drone, now imagine getting packages delivered to you from space. The wildest startup I’ve heard about in a while.

As of right now, you can no longer buy an iPhone in Russia. Big recall from Fitbit because their smartwatches might burn you. Meta tries to be transparent in a very Meta way, by redacting a key detail from a transparency report. And could poker be the killer app the Metaverse has been waiting for?

Not just rumors of an Apple AR headset, but actual code mentions of a “realityOS” are showing up now. Microsoft hopes to head off the regulators with some app store rules. Now Flash storage chips might be in for a supply crunch. And why static video memes are all over Instagram all of the sudden.

States sue Google for data shenanigans. Europe passes a landmark ad targeting and data law. Apple’s 2022 lineup according to Mark Gurman. A look at the state of the crypto crash, and to what degree it is affecting NFTs. And all this talk of metaverses led to record VC investment in AR and VR startups, but what some folks are starting to ask is, even if we build it, do we have the infrastructure that will even allow the people to come?

Let’s stand in front of the firehose of CES news. Sony details its new VR headset for PlayStations. Chip news from Intel, from Nvidia, from AMD, from Microsoft and Qualcomm. Two really big interesting raises, and a new autonomous tractor allows us to talk about John Deere, for the first time ever, I believe.

First we talk to the Spatial folks about pivoting in Web3. Then, the top tech stories of the year, as picked by you.

Some big names pull out of CES at the last minute. TikTok is now the most popular destination in all the Internet. Justin Kan’s new NFT platform got hacked before even launching. Why my beloved Arsenal is in trouble for offering tokens. And Elon Musk comes out swinging against Web3 and the Metaverse.

The legendary analyst Benedict Evans @benedictevans comes on to discuss this essay about the state of the Metaverse right now. Then, several members of the ConstitutionDAO team come on to tell us the behind the scenes of all that historic event at Sotheby's all went down last week. Featuring: @sadlyoddisfying, @youfoundanisha, @julianweisser, @RobbieHeeger, @ciaomack, @kyle_billings

Coming at the Metaverse from a different angle. If you're a dev or even just an enthusiast, how, from a technological perspective, will the Metaverse be built?

Poking some holes in the Metaverse hype and also examining the financial realities of the Creator Economy.

Is Meta going to open actual physical retail stores to try to sell folks on the promise of the Metaverse? More tangible signs Apple’s silicon is leaving everyone, but especially Intel in the dust. The new Mavic 3 drone from DJI. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

F*** it! We did it live! Chris and me and @Kantrowitz around my kitchen table! Are we in for the biggest week of Facebook's life?

What is the Metaverse? Why is everyone talking about it? Why is Mark Zuckerberg talking SO MUCH about it lately? And come to think of it, what is Facebook's play for the future?

Facebook launches some smart glasses. Amazon launches its own, branded smart tv. Soccer players are turning into NFTs. Twitter is turning into Reddit. And I still have questions about the whole Buy Now, Pay Later space.

All things metaverse! Why is it on everybody's lips at the moment? When will it arrive? Is it already (kinda) here? With @janineyorio from Republic.co.

Facebook is bringing ads to Virtual Reality cause, why not, right? Stories are coming to the Xbox. Why is Google downsizing it’s healthcare team? Why are music artists flooding to Twitch? And is Facebook cornering the VR market like it cornered social media?

Snap releases its first true AR glasses, and buys the company that helped make them a reality. Is Netflix going to get into gaming to help juice growth in North America? Is the IRS going to crack down ever harder on Crypto? Twitter’s newly revamped verification system. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Microsoft’s big HoloLens deal with the Pentagon is maybe the big bang for the augmented reality industry. Amazon says their folks can come back to work soon, and in fact, they’d prefer if you did. Bearish signs for the work remotely movement? Why these are boom times for chip makers. And why Siri’s new voices think of gender as a spectrum. Sponsors:Today In Digital Marketing PodcastAirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH Links:Microsoft wins U.S. Army contract for augmented reality headsets, worth up to $21.9 billion over 10 years (CNBC)Amazon says it expects some employees to return to the office this summer, most will return in fall (CNBC)TSMC to Spend $100 Billion Over Three Years to Grow Capacity (Bloomberg)Apple adds two brand new Siri voices and will no longer default to a female or male voice in iOS (TechCrunch)Comcast Weighs Pulling Universal’s Movies From HBO Max, Netflix (Bloomberg)Thrasio raises $100M for its Amazon roll-up play, appoints retail CFO for its next steps…

Ming-Chi Kuo’s grand unified Apple rumor includes AR enabled contact lenses. Is the US about to retaliate in kind for the SolarWinds hack? Mobile World Congress is gonna go ahead and do it live! And in person. Why is Google making Google Pay worse? And do we need a new podcast wager about meaningful quantum computing by 2023? Sponsors:Kiwico.com, promocode "ride" for 30% offBuyRaycon.com/tech for 15% off Links:Kuo: Apple to Launch Mixed Reality Headset in Mid 2022 and Augmented Reality Glasses by 2025 (MacRumors)Preparing for Retaliation Against Russia, U.S. Confronts Hacking by China (NYTimes)Smartphone Lobby Wants Conference for 50,000 People in June (Bloomberg)The new Google Pay repeats all the same mistakes of Google Allo (Ars Technica)Quantum-Computing Startup IonQ Plans Public Debut in $2 Billion SPAC Merger (WSJ)Sidewalk robots get legal rights as "pedestrians" (Axios)

As mentioned, for my birthday this year I got my first VR rig, an Occulus Quest 2 because if an Apple AR/VR thingy is coming, if Facebook continues to invest in VR, then I figured it was time to, you know, not be functionally inexperienced with the space. I have a little bit of crypto to understand the space. Looking to get my hands on some NFTs to understand the space. I’ve got an onlyfans account to understand the dynamics of what works in the creator economy. And that’s the only reason, I swear. Anyway, in this episode we’re going to talk about some of the things I’ve learned and to do so, we’re going to talk to two folks. First, some of you might know Kyle Hilliard, he was for a long time the host of our Gaming Ride Home podcast, before the pandemic put paid to that show. He’s a veteran games journalist, and actually, you can still hear Kyle talk gaming on the MinnMax podcast. Link in the show notes. Kyle helps me understand the state of the industry from a developer and corporate…

Whole bunch of Apple rumors today. The most details yet on the Apple headset. Will the Apple car be an AV first, and does that just mean it will be for delivering things? Is the iPhone 13 getting better cameras? And also, Amazon is deploying cameras on its trucks. And Senator Klobuchar wants to put the burden of proof on the acquirers, when it comes to tech mergers. Sponsors:AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECHLinkedIn.com/ride Links:New Apple Mixed-Reality Headset Details: Swappable Headbands, Eye-Tracking (The Information)Apple and Hyundai-Kia pushing toward deal on Apple Car (CNBC)Kuo: iPhone 13 Now More Likely to Get Upgraded Ultra Wide Camera With Improved Low-Light Performance (MacRumors)Amazon is using AI-equipped cameras in delivery vans and some drivers are concerned about privacy (CNBC)Klobuchar to Introduce Antitrust Bill Raising Bar for Technology Deals (WSJ)The Technology 202: Klobuchar's new antitrust bill may hit Big Tech where it hurts (Washington Post) tec…

Apple’s first foray into VR is coming next year, says Mark Gurman, but the real game is in AR and that’s a ways down the road. Amazon wants to help roll out the vaccines. Are laptops getting taller? One chat app to unify them all? And everybody wants a dark mode, even the White House. Sponsors:NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode: techmemeTovala.com/ride Links: Apple’s First Headset to Be Niche Precursor to Eventual AR Glasses (Bloomberg) LG considers exiting smartphones in 2021 (The Verge) Amazon sends letter to President Biden, says it is ‘ready to assist’ with U.S. vaccination efforts (GeekWire) Facebook refers Trump ban to independent Oversight Board for review (Axios) Goodbye and good riddance to the 16:9 aspect ratio (The Verge) Pebble founder promises iMessage on Android and Windows with universal chat app (The Verge) WhiteHouse.gov now has dark mode (The Verge)

Facebook unveils the Oculus Quest 2, as a part of its Facebook Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) event. Amazon Music gets podcasts. Spotify puts the Apple One bundle on blast. Developers have found yet another reason to get pissed at Apple. And AT&T is not only bringing advertising to HBO, they want to add ads to you phone as well. Sponsors: PayPal AppExtraHop.com/techmeme Links:Oculus Quest 2 delivers standalone VR with sharper 90Hz screens for $299 (Engadget) OCULUS QUEST 2 REVIEW: BETTER, C...

Soon you can only use an Oculus if you have a Facebook account. But bizarrely, the Facebook Portal (along with the Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max) is opening up to Zoom. Netflix is testing a “shuffle play” feature. Blackberry phones are coming back. And Apple hits a $2 trillion market cap. Sponsors: BlueNile.com code: RIDE Metalab.co Links: You’ll need a Facebook account to use future Oculus headsets (The Verge) Zoom is coming to Google Nest, Amazon Echo, and Facebook Portal smart displays...