Episode Summary
Executive Summary: At CES 2019, the hosts argue the show feels quieter, with fewer attendees and potentially fewer Chinese companies, while Apple unexpectedly dominates the conversation by striking TV deals with Samsung, Vizio, LG, and Sony. The episode also covers major TV launches, privacy implications of smart TVs, novelty CES gadgets, and the ATT/T-Mobile 5GE feud.
Main Topics: CES 2019 feels quieter than usual (Priority: 5/5): The hosts describe lower crowd density at press events, less Venetian suite traffic, and a perception that companies may be seeing diminishing returns from CES attendance. Apple’s surprising TV and AirPlay expansion (Priority: 5/5): Apple unexpectedly partners with major TV manufacturers to bring iTunes Movies/TV, AirPlay 2, and HomeKit to smart TVs, signaling a more services-focused strategy. Smart TV privacy and tracking concerns (Priority: 5/5): The discussion highlights how TVs use automatic content recognition to track viewing, and notes Apple’s deals require disabling tracking for AirPlay/iTunes content. Major TV hardware launches at CES (Priority: 4/5): LG, Samsung, Sony, and TCL unveil new TV technologies including rollable OLED, microLED, 8K, and HDMI 2.1, with emphasis on practical design and display innovation. CES novelty products and the recurring-revenue trend (Priority: 3/5): The hosts joke about strange products like scent devices, smart toilets, party speakers, and luxury headphones, noting many startups are chasing subscriptions and recurring revenue. ATT vs. T-Mobile over 5GE (Priority: 4/5): The episode covers ATT’s misleading 5GE branding and T-Mobile’s public trolling, framing it as a messy and confusing marketing war over 5G terminology.
Key Arguments: CES appears less crowded this year, suggesting either declining industry enthusiasm or lower ROI for expensive show participation. Apple’s presence is now felt through partnerships and advertising rather than product launches, reflecting its shift toward services and media distribution. The iTunes/Samsung and AirPlay/HomeKit deals are significant because Apple is pushing into living rooms without selling its own TV hardware. Apple’s deals also improve privacy in a notable way by limiting tracking during AirPlay 2 and iTunes playback on participating TVs. Smart TV platforms routinely track viewing behavior via ACR, so Apple’s restrictions represent a meaningful industry precedent. The rollout of 4K, OLED, HDR, and smarter TV integrations has matured enough that TV innovation is now more about refining the experience than inventing entirely new categories. CES continues to produce bizarre but commercially revealing products, especially around subscriptions and accessories. ATT and T-Mobile’s 5G branding fight demonstrates how confusing carrier marketing can be and how easily consumers are misled.
Data Points: CES attendance: 180,000 attendees - Mentioned as this year’s CES attendance figure, down about 2% from last year. Attendance change: Down 2% year over year - Used to emphasize CES seeming smaller/quieter than previous years. Dieter’s CES streak: 13 straight years - He says this is his 13th consecutive CES. Vlad’s CES streak: 10+ years (likely 11th) - The hosts estimate Vlad has attended at least 11 CES events. Ashley’s CES streak: 3rd year - Ashley identifies this as her third CES. LG rollable TV size: 65-inch OLED - The rollable TV shown last year is now a retail product. LG rollable TV price estimate: $12,000 (stated estimate) - The hosts speculate on the expected launch price. LG 8K TV size: 88-inch - LG announces an 88-inch 8K TV with HDMI 2.1. Samsung microLED TV size: 75-inch - Samsung announces a 75-inch microLED TV product. Smart TV tracking window: 2016 models and up (Vizio) - Vizio TVs from 2016 onward get AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. Phone/TV support: Samsung TVs from 2018 and 2019 - Samsung TVs from these years get iTunes and AirPlay 2. Surface Pro 6 battery life: Up to 13.5 hours - Repeated in the ad read sponsoring the episode. TCL market claim: Preferred consumer electronics brand in America within a few years - A bold claim made during TCL’s press conference. Gold content in luxury headphones: 200 grams - A special ultra-luxury headphone edition contains gold. Diamond content in luxury headphones: 6 carats - The same luxury headphones include diamonds. Luxury headphone base price: $4,000 - Base price for the Focal/Utopia-style headphones before luxury add-ons. Luxury headphone special edition price: $120,000 - Price of a gold-and-diamond special edition.
Pivotal Quotes: "What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone." — Neli / discussion of Apple billboard: Describing Apple’s huge CES billboard aimed at privacy and the Google area. "Apple has signed these deals, and it's wild to me that you're on almost better off if you don't want to be tracked using AirPlay to the native software to a native Android stack than you are plugging an Apple TV into a TV that might track you whether or not you tell it to stop." — Dieter Bohn: On the surprising privacy upside of Apple’s TV partnerships. "CES is a consumer electronic show. It is what we are told aggressively is the biggest show in tech." — Neli Patel: Opening framing of CES and its contested status as the industry’s biggest show.
Implications: Apple is becoming a platform and services company inside other companies’ TVs, while privacy concerns and smart-home ecosystems become more central. CES also looks less like a product-reveal circus and more like a mature, increasingly crowded battlefield for integrations, branding, and data control.
About The Vergecast
The Vergecast is the flagship podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, hosts Nilay Patel and David Pierce hang out and make sense of the week’s most important technology news. And every Tuesday, David leads a selection of The Verge’s expert staffers in an exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives – and which ones you should bring into yours.