I Tried To Take A Quiet Vacation - WAN Show March 21, 2025

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode ranges from a chaotic travel recap to a series of tech and policy discussions: Apple may make a portless iPhone under EU rules, Mark Rober’s Tesla/LiDAR video sparked criticism over framing, Plex is raising prices and changing access rules, and several platform/product updates were covered (Xbox/Steam, Roku ads, Windows Copilot removal, Bigscreen Beyond 2, Pebble revival, God of War TV adaptation). The hosts also address corrections culture, product testing transparency, and company policy changes around sponsor removals and old catalog cleanup.

Main Topics: Travel recap and Singapore/Malaysia tech mall stories (Priority: 5/5): The host recounts a hectic 12-day family trip through Bali, Malaysia, and Singapore, emphasizing the repeated hotel changes, family logistics, and an unexpectedly productive visit to a large Malaysian tech mall where he bought cables and saw abundant GPU stock. Apple portless iPhone and EU compliance (Priority: 5/5): Discussion centers on the EU’s common charger directive and the confirmation that a fully portless iPhone would still comply, since the law only applies if a device has a wired charging port. The hosts debate whether a portless iPhone is appealing or merely inevitable. Corrections, credibility, and the LTT video error (Priority: 5/5): The show addresses a recent LTT correction about MSI’s power-connector claim in a 5090 video, explaining that the team removed the inaccurate segment and posted a correction. They argue that transparent corrections should build trust, not damage it. Platform policy changes: Plex, YouTube, Roku, Windows (Priority: 4/5): Several service/platform changes are discussed: Plex price hikes and new remote-access rules; Roku testing autoplay ads before the home screen; Microsoft briefly showing Steam in Xbox UI; and a Windows update that removed Copilot on some systems while causing failures on others. Mark Rober’s Tesla/LiDAR video controversy (Priority: 4/5): The hosts analyze criticism of Mark Rober’s self-driving/LiDAR comparison video, noting concerns about the title, Tesla terminology, older driver-assist hardware, and timing amid Tesla backlash. They argue the core point—camera-only systems have limitations—still stands. Product and hardware launches: Bigscreen, Pebble/Core, NVIDIA GTC (Priority: 3/5): The episode covers Bigscreen Beyond 2/2e improvements, the Core 2 Duo/Core Time 2 Pebble revival, and major NVIDIA GTC announcements like DGX Spark, DGX Station, and Vera/Rubin updates. The hosts are enthusiastic about some devices and skeptical about the scale/cost of others. Work culture, approvals, and communication styles (Priority: 3/5): A side conversation explores approval limits, management style, and personality frameworks. The hosts explain their internal spending thresholds, communication preferences, and how a color-based personality system helped teams adjust how they communicate with each other.

Key Arguments: The EU charger law does not forbid a portless phone; it only requires USB-C if a wired charging port exists. LTT believes admitting mistakes and issuing corrections increases trust more than refusing to acknowledge errors. Mark Rober’s video may have had imperfect wording, but the substantive takeaway about camera-only driver-assist limitations remains valid. Plex’s price increase is annoying but not outrageous; the more concerning issue is changing free remote playback and introducing new pay tiers for access. Old sponsor integrations should be removed from back-catalog videos when a company becomes unfit to advertise, even if the process is time-consuming. A good product or platform must be judged by what exists today, not by hypothetical future versions. Phone OS preference matters less than reliability and battery behavior for daily use; Apple’s battery management remains a standout advantage. Product lines should only expand into categories where a brand can offer a meaningful differentiator, not just a logo on commodity hardware.

Data Points: Trip duration: 12 days - Host described the family vacation as lasting about 12 days. Hotels stayed in: 6 hotels - The trip involved changing hotels every two days. Countries visited: 3 countries - Bali/Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore were mentioned. Tech malls visited: 4 major Asian tech malls - Shenzhen, Sim Lim Square, Taipei, and Plaza Low Yat were referenced as a ‘trifecta’ plus one. GPU stock observed: 3 to 10 cards per small shop - The Malaysian tech mall reportedly had multiple RTX 50-series and AMD 9000-series GPUs in almost every small shop. Plex monthly price: $6.99/month - New Plex Pass pricing for monthly subscriptions. Plex annual price: $70/year - New Plex Pass yearly pricing. Plex lifetime price: $250 lifetime - Lifetime Plex Pass price after increase. Old Plex monthly price: $4.99/month - Previous Plex Pass monthly pricing. Old Plex annual price: $40/year - Previous Plex Pass yearly pricing. Old Plex lifetime price: $120 lifetime - Previous Plex Pass lifetime pricing. Remote Watch Pass price: $1.99/month or $20/year - New paid remote playback option for users accessing servers without Plex Pass. YouTube sponsor removals: Over 120 Honey reads removed - LTT said it had already cut many Honey sponsor segments from old videos. Windows update identifier: KB 5053598 - Update discussed for Copilot removal and bugs. Bigscreen Beyond 2 weight: 107 grams - Weight of the headset itself, down from 127g. Bigscreen Beyond 2 weight reduction: 20 grams lighter - Comparing the new model to the original Beyond. Bigscreen Beyond 2 field of view: 116 degrees - Improved from 102 degrees. Bigscreen Beyond original field of view: 102 degrees - Previous headset FOV used for comparison. NVIDIA Spark memory: 128 GB unified memory - DGX Spark specs for AI workloads. NVIDIA DGX Station memory: Up to 784 GB coherent memory - Desktop AI system announced at GTC. NVIDIA Vera CPU cores: 88 custom ARM cores / 176 threads - Part of the Vera/Rubin platform discussion. NVIDIA Rubin GPU compute: 50 PF FP4 - Projected performance for the next-gen platform. Wait time for portless iPhone discussion: EU clarification cited as current - No exact timing given, but the device is described as a near-future possibility. LTT approval limit: $2,000 - A business spending threshold discussed live on the show.

Pivotal Quotes: "The point is that regulation can absolutely be a good thing. But applied poorly, it can absolutely just get in the way of getting anything done." — Linus: Explaining the fire-egress/regulation discussion and why the previous rant was about overreach, not safety itself. "If you sign up for a service for $5 a month and the service doesn’t materially change, at least not for the better, then you don’t get to just unilaterally decide that now it’s $10 a month." — Linus: Critiquing Plex’s pricing change and the ethics of changing terms for existing users. "I’d love to have it explained to me why force close or end task doesn’t just use whatever mechanism they use when I log out. Just do that. Please tell me." — Linus: Rant about inconsistent close/force-close behavior in macOS and Windows.

Implications: Listeners get a clear picture of how tech policy, platform monetization, and product design choices affect real users. The episode reinforces that transparency, practical testing, and user trust matter more than marketing spin.