Reviews for the Pixel are out, including one from our very own Walt Mossberg. This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Walt and Nilay talk about the phone made by Google and how it ranks up against products by Apple and Samsung. Also, now that Google is making a bunch of hardware with their own software, the idea of brand lock-in is much more real for the consumer. Lastly, Apple is holding a Mac event next week, so Walt and Nilay speculate about announcements and specs for the long-awaited new laptops. Le...
Oct 20, 2016•1 hr 4 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast Apple had a significant head start over Google when buying Siri, but Apple has fallen way behind in the AI race as far as usability. Walt’s column this week argues that Siri seems dumb, and might be a major problem for Apple in the coming tech war. This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Walt and Nilay discuss Apple’s artificial intelligence strategy and how it’s just not up to speed with what customers are doing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 13, 2016•44 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast In our first podcast after the Google event from Tuesday, Ctrl-Walt-Delete looks at new products from Google that blends together hardware, software, and ecosystem design. Walt and Nilay sit down to discuss how this makes Google a great competitor for companies like Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Microsoft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 06, 2016•1 hr 1 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Walt and Nilay celebrate one year of podcasting together on Ctrl-Walt-Delete by discussing Elon Musk's plan to move humanity to Mars — and all the unanswered questions that remain after Musk's dazzling presentation. Walt's column this week took a look at Parallels 12 as a way to run Windows 10 and macOS Sierra simultaneously on Macs new and old, so they touch on that and compare it to Boot Camp. That leads to a discussion on the hardware that Microsoft, Apple, and others are putting f...
Sep 29, 2016•55 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast The tech news of the past few weeks still lingers, so this week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete Walt and Nilay tackle a few topics. Samsung is still trying to remove all Note 7s affected with battery malfunction from circulation, but as Walt notes, some customers are going through obstacles trying return them. Walt and Nilay examine Samsung’s approach to the recall and how they may be messing it up for themselves. Also, in Walt’s column this week, he reviews watchOS 3 so the two get into Apple’s sort-of reb...
Sep 22, 2016•56 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Last week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, we were fresh off the Apple event, and we shared our first impressions of the new gadgets that were announced. This week, we saw reviews from both Walt and Nilay about the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The two compare notes on their feelings about Apple's latest product, as well as its timeliness in light of competitor Galaxy Note 7's batteries exploding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 15, 2016•1 hr 10 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast As you may have read on this site, Apple had an event yesterday, and we attended. Walt and Nilay meet up in San Francisco for this week's episode of Ctrl-Walt-Delete and invite Vergecast regulars Lauren Goode and Dieter Bohn to the show to discuss everything we saw at the event yesterday and give their first impressions. Apple watch: 06:51 iPhone: 23:17 eero ad - 43:25 Headphone jack/AirPods - 45:32 Home button: 1:13:06 It's the mashup of two podcasts you've been waiting for! But fear not, there...
Sep 08, 2016•1 hr 25 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin It has been five years since Tim Cook took the reins as Apple's CEO after Steve Jobs stepped down, and we're about see a new line of products launch at next week's Apple event. So this week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Walt and Nilay review the past five years and discuss what has (or hasn't) changed at Apple, including the products, sales, and the ever-expanding market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 01, 2016•1 hr 7 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast This week in Walt's column, he reviews the Logitech Create keyboard for the iPad Pro, and finds that is a great alternative to the keyboard made by Apple. This sparks a conversation between Walt and Nilay about expanding the use of a tablet and replacing the laptop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 11, 2016•49 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast The television has gone through many changes since its inception: from being a piece of furniture in your home, to going with you to the beach, or being just another device you connect to your Wi-Fi network. This week, Walt reviewed the 55-inch LG OLED B series TV after his Pioneer Elite 50-inch plasma finally died, so Walt and Nilay discuss the many (sometimes unnecessary) features of the smart TV, and the television industry today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...
Aug 04, 2016•1 hr 2 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Eight years after the app store has opened, Walt and Nilay discuss the use of smartphone apps today. Walt deleted tons of apps, and it seems to have turned out for the best. With smartphone users downloading an average of zero apps a month, has the glamour of using apps faded away? And if so, what is the next step for smartphone software? Also, Nilay reads a review from Walt about the time the Apple app store first opened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 21, 2016•58 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Wi-Fi calling in the United States has hit an all-time high and Republic Wireless — a small, renegade phone carrier — has taken advantage of this. Walt and Nilay discuss Walt's review of Republic in length, as well as the convenience of Wi-Fi on the go, with an insight of what Steve Jobs was thinking back in the early days of the iPhone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 14, 2016•51 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast Nilay and Walt lament the growing barrage of messages and notifications from services that don't interoperate. They call on OS owners Apple and Google to give users better tools to deal with the mess. There might also be t-shirts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 07, 2016•55 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast As the rumors about the disappearing headphone jack continue to surface, Walt reviews new earphones that still take advantage of this classic technology but adds a new twist. This sparks a new conversation about the powered audio jack and how it benefits existing technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 30, 2016•48 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast After Walt's review of the HP Spectre, Nilay and Walt pick up where the review left off and dig into how the laptop compares to its direct competitor, the MacBook. They also look back at Walt's review of the Lenovo Yoga, which, back in 2012, had tablet-like features — something Walt compliments the Spectre for not having. Additionally, the duo go into Nilay's recent article about replacing the 3.5mm headphone jack from phones, in response to the rumors about Apple's next iPhone. Learn more about...
Jun 23, 2016•1 hr 5 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast The Worldwide Developers Conference presented new software from Apple for the Mac, the iPhone, and everything in between — and some of the features are a big deal. What is Apple planning on doing with them in the long run? And how is a company that's still all about hardware going to go toe-to-toe in AI, one of the hottest topics in technology the last few months? Walt and Nilay sit down and dissect what came out of WWDC this year, and what it means for products present and future. Learn more ab...
Jun 16, 2016•54 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Back from Code Conference, Walt and Nilay discuss what they took away from interviews with Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and others, and dive into the state of the companies they belong to. Also, WWDC is just around the corner and we have some exclusive details on what's next from Apple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 09, 2016•1 hr 6 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast With companies like Google and Microsoft introducing new technology like bots and VR, Walt and Nilay stop and look at Apple; can they make a shift to re-dominate the industry they locked in for the past 15 years? Apple may not be perfectly positioned for the next big thing and there's no clear winner in the game so far but it might be the last possible minute for them to step on the gas. Listen to this week's episode of Ctrl-Walt-Delete for up-to-date info before WWDC 2016 in the coming weeks. L...
May 26, 2016•42 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast With all the news that came out of Google I/O 2016, Walt and Nilay look at the big picture and discuss the future of the industry. Google is playing catch up with big announcements of AI, an Amazon Echo competitor, and video and messaging apps, but will they win over users? And with Google's brain integrated into almost everything you do online, what is the privacy sacrifice you will be making? Dive into this week's episode of Ctrl-Walt-Delete to hear what our experts think. Learn more about you...
May 20, 2016•41 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast With Facebook becoming a part of nearly everyone's life, Walt and Nilay discuss the repercussions of this; interaction with brands on Facebook and "trending" topics that appear on your home page. Is this method of advertising and news consumption inherently good or bad? Listen to this week's Ctrl-Walt-Delete to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 12, 2016•46 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast After Walt's review of the email app EasilyDo in this week's column, Nilay and Walt dissect the world of e-mail today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 05, 2016•45 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast With the introduction of The Verge's new gadget blog Circuit Breaker and the release of Apple's Q2 earnings report, Walt and Nilay discuss the importance of gadgets in the tech world today, the separation of smartphones from the gadget world, and also look back at the golden age of gadgets in the 1990's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 28, 2016•54 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Walt's column about Slack intersects with news of new Facebook features. Chat bots and messaging are seeing a resurgence, but their roots can be traced back to the days of AOL’s dominance. Meanwhile, Facebook is pushing Live video, hoping it will attract a new class of creators like YouTube did. Walt and Nilay debate on the positives and negatives of these services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 14, 2016•1 hr•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, the new web browser Vivaldi arrives in a world of mobile use; which sparks the debate of web versus apps, as well as looking back at the recent history of browsing the web. Walt and Nilay take their sides on one of the most interesting conversations in tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 07, 2016•57 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, we continue the talk on the iPhone SE and the iPad Pro 9.7 after Walt's review of the products and then dive into what came out of the Microsoft Build Developer Conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 31, 2016•56 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, we briefly review the Apple event from this week and then discuss what Apple needs to do next as competitors step up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 24, 2016•44 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Walt and Nilay take on the long running dispute of the public opinion on open source tech, and whether there actually is a hard definition of "open" and "closed" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 17, 2016•54 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast As Samsung releases the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge, our two experts talk about the design of the new products; the sleek hardware of the phone as well as the software that doesn't necessarily complement it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 10, 2016•42 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the duo talk privacy and security pertaining to technology. With two-factor authentication and Apple not giving a backdoor to phone encryption, should you feel safe keeping your data in the cloud? Let our experts go into detail about this issue and clear things up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 03, 2016•49 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast After Walt's review of the Eero, the duo discuss in detail the usage of wireless systems and the surprisingly numerous devices one uses in the household with a Wi-Fi internet connection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 25, 2016•46 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast 
