Apple Lied! - WAN Show March 18, 2022

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode is dominated by a heated critique of Apple’s Studio Display and Mac Studio, especially the display’s non-removable power cable and the Mac Studio’s ambiguous SSD modularity. The hosts contrast Apple’s environmental messaging with anti-repair design choices, then pivot to lighter but substantial topics: LTT’s million-dollar flash-storage unboxing, Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck, AMD’s 5800X3D overclocking limits, the shutdown of YouTube Vanced, NVIDIA IP-leak risks, and a Dr. Disrespect NFT/game monetization controversy.

Main Topics: Apple Studio Display and Mac Studio repairability backlash (Priority: 5/5): The hosts react angrily to Apple’s apparent anti-modularity choices: the Mac Studio’s unclear SSD upgrade story and the Studio Display’s initially believed hardwired power cable. They argue Apple knowingly adds cost and e-waste while framing products as environmentally friendly. Million-dollar flash storage unboxing (Priority: 5/5): LTT previews a massive Kioxia-sponsored storage project involving a petabyte of flash, multiple EPYC systems, terabytes of RAM, NVIDIA A100s, custom networking, and rack-scale integration. The team frames it as a multi-video series with enormous technical ambition. Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck (Priority: 4/5): The discussion covers Microsoft Edge on Steam Deck enabling Xbox Cloud Gaming, and whether cloud gaming meaningfully increases the device’s appeal without undermining native Linux gaming adoption. The hosts see it as an option, not a replacement. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D overclocking restrictions (Priority: 4/5): AMD’s 3D V-Cache gaming CPU is discussed as a performance-focused chip with locked voltage/overclocking due to cache voltage limits, while Infinity Fabric and memory tuning remain available. The hosts question how this impacts enthusiast expectations. YouTube Vanced shutdown and ad-blocking alternatives (Priority: 4/5): The hosts cover Vanced being discontinued, note its feature-rich appeal, and debate what likely triggered Google’s legal action. They also criticize YouTube for not implementing obvious quality-of-life features Vanced offered. IP leakage, competitor caution, and legal risk (Priority: 3/5): A message from a worker at a large NVIDIA competitor is used to explain how dangerous leaked IP is for companies and employees alike. The takeaway is that simply viewing or reusing leaked code can create serious legal and employment risk. Dr. Disrespect game studio and NFT monetization (Priority: 3/5): The hosts react negatively to a new FPS studio’s community pass, tradable digital items, and NFT-like mechanics. They see it as classic hype-driven monetization dressed up as community governance.

Key Arguments: Apple’s environmental messaging rings hollow when products are designed to be non-upgradable and potentially e-waste-heavy. The Studio Display cable, though hard to remove, is not actually fixed in the same way as a conventional permanent cable; however, Apple’s intent still appears anti-serviceable. Modularity matters when it serves supply-chain efficiency, but Apple ignores it when it would help repairability, fleet maintenance, or long-term reuse. The million-dollar flash project is technically justified because you cannot simply scale SSD count without enough CPU lanes, memory, and switching bandwidth. Cloud gaming on Steam Deck is additive; it may broaden use cases, but it should not become an excuse to neglect native Linux game compatibility. AMD’s 5800X3D is a stopgap, performance-oriented SKU where overclocking restrictions are likely driven by cache voltage constraints rather than marketing alone. Vanced’s popularity reflected basic usability features that the official YouTube app still lacks, especially timestamped sharing and playback controls. Leaked corporate IP is not a casual resource for competitors; looking at or reusing it can expose companies and individuals to severe legal consequences. NFTs and paid community passes are being framed as “community involvement,” but the hosts see them as monetization mechanisms first and game design second.

Data Points: Mac Studio starting price: $2,800 (non-Ultra) / around $4,000 (Ultra-tier mentioned as context) - Used to argue the product’s audience is too small to pressure Apple into change Studio Display starting price: $1,600 - Referenced while criticizing the non-removable power cable Studio Display power cord length: 6 feet - Shown as permanently attached to the monitor Million-dollar storage build: Petabyte-scale flash array - LTT’s Kioxia-backed project described as a petabyte of SSD storage CPU cores in storage build: 512 EPYC CPU cores total - Used to explain the scale needed to support the flash array GPU count in storage build: 8 NVIDIA A100s - Part of the massively overprovisioned compute system Storage build servers: 7 servers - Total number of servers in the setup Power draw for storage build: Up to 10,000 watts - Used to justify custom power delivery Network switch throughput: Multiple terabits per second - NVIDIA-provided switch for the project 5800X3D price: $450 US - AMD’s announced price for the 3D V-Cache CPU 5800X3D launch date: 4/20 - Mentioned as release timing 5800X3D cache: 96 MB L3 cache - Up from 32 MB on the standard 5800X Vanced founders access pass: $50 - Community pass for early access and governance-like features Vanced founders seats: 10,000 community members - Limited paid access pool Potential pass revenue: $500,000 - 10,000 passes at $50 each LTT backpack price: $249.99 US - Referenced in the million dollar unboxing / product launch segment FreshBooks claimed time savings: Up to 11 hours per week - Sponsor segment about accounting automation FreshBooks user count: Over 24 million people - Sponsor credibility claim FreshBooks support satisfaction: 94% say it’s super easy to get up and running - Sponsor segment Steam Deck cloud gaming setup: Microsoft Edge beta on Linux/Steam Deck - Required for Xbox Cloud Gaming on the device

Pivotal Quotes: "Apple engineers things to be worse. They go, they put actual real work and money into making something worse." — Linus: Reaction to Apple’s design choices on Mac Studio and Studio Display "This fing cable plugs into nothing but this display. And when this display is obsolete, it will go straight to the landfill." — Linus: Critique of the Studio Display’s built-in power cord and e-waste implications "You can engineer for improved compatibility or you can engineer for worse compatibility. There are actually two ways to do this." — Linus: Used as a contrast between LTT’s screwdriver design philosophy and Apple’s product decisions

Implications:* The episode reinforces a repairability-versus-convenience divide in consumer tech, praises true modular design, and warns that cloud gaming, NFTs, and locked-down hardware can become user-hostile defaults if companies prioritize monetization over usability.