Stolen iPhones Rat Out New "Owners" - WAN Show June 5, 2020

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode blends WAN Show banter with tech headlines, centering on Apple’s anti-theft tracking of stolen demo iPhones, NCIX US mysteriously returning as a demo e-commerce site, AMD’s planned Big Navi launch, Intel’s 10nm Xeon leaks, Apple’s difficult automation of tiny screws, Sega’s fog gaming concept, and lighter sponsor/chat segments. The hosts repeatedly weigh practicality, ethics, and industry strategy while joking through the details.

Main Topics: Apple tracks stolen iPhones from looted stores (Priority: 5/5): They discuss reports that Apple demo phones from looted stores displayed a warning saying the device was disabled, tracked, and should be returned to Apple Walnut Street. The hosts note it may only apply to demo units and emphasize the likely presence of hardware-linked identifiers and GPS-like tracking. NCIX US website returns in strange form (Priority: 5/5): The hosts inspect the revived NCIX US site, noting its odd product catalog, demo-store feel, and signs it may be running on CS-Cart demo software rather than the original NCIX backend. They reminisce about NCIX banners, old staff, and how long the site remained active after bankruptcy. AMD Big Navi / RDNA 2 roadmap (Priority: 4/5): They cover AMD’s implication that RDNA 2 Big Navi will arrive on PC before next-gen consoles and be a halo product. The discussion ties this to AMD’s recent momentum and hopes that stronger AMD GPUs will benefit the broader PC gaming ecosystem. Intel Xeon 10nm / Ice Lake server leak (Priority: 4/5): They review Geekbench results for a 24-core, 48-thread Ice Lake-derived Xeon with rumored PCIe 4.0 and DDR4-3200 support. The hosts compare its single-thread and multi-thread performance to current Xeons and joke about Intel naming and cache sizes. Apple manufacturing automation challenges (Priority: 3/5): A linked article about Apple trying to automate screw installation leads into a discussion of how tiny fasteners are difficult for robots to handle. They explain why force feedback, alignment, and cross-thread detection make this much harder than it sounds. Fog gaming and distributed compute (Priority: 3/5): They discuss Sega’s idea of using underutilized arcade hardware in Japan as nearby cloud infrastructure for gaming, then broaden the concept into a speculative future where spare local GPUs could be rented out like a distributed utility. Super chats, MBTI, and show banter (Priority: 2/5): The back half includes sponsor reads, audience questions, a brief MBTI discussion, and recurring jokes about apology videos, piracy, and what kinds of games new PC gamers should try.

Key Arguments: The Apple theft warnings likely applied to demo devices, not necessarily consumer phones, because demo units often run special software and hardware-linked tracking. Stolen goods with GPS, serial-number linkage, or other tracking are a bad idea; the hosts frame this as a practical tech tip rather than a moral lecture. NCIX US’s return appears more like a demo storefront or migration test than a true resurrection of the old company, based on generic categories and template-like content. AMD’s stronger GPU roadmap matters not just for AMD but for PC gaming overall because a competitive high-end product can raise the floor for game development targets. Intel’s upcoming 10nm server parts appear promising in multi-threaded performance, but the hosts treat leaked benchmark numbers cautiously. Sega’s fog gaming is interesting because latency is driven by distance; placing compute near users is the key limitation and opportunity. Tiny-scale robotics in manufacturing remain difficult because screws, alignment, and torque control are inherently finicky at iPhone/MacBook scale.

Data Points: Apple store locations reported looted: Several, including Minneapolis, Portland, and Phoenix - Mentioned during discussion of Apple’s stolen-device tracking messages Warning message on stolen iPhone: "This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted." - Quoted from a reportedly stolen iPhone seen on social media NCIX US discount range: 40% to 80% - Shown on the revived NCIX US storefront NCIX US contact address: 3993 Hanover Street - Displayed on the site’s about/contact information AMD product timing: Late 2020 - The hosts cite AMD’s stated roadmap for Zen 3 and RDNA 2 Ice Lake Xeon cores/threads: 24 cores / 48 threads - Geekbench leak discussed for a desktop/server-class CPU Ice Lake Xeon clocks: 2.2 GHz base / 2.9 GHz boost - Reported in the Geekbench submission Ice Lake Xeon single-thread score: 4,100 - Geekbench 4 score mentioned for the leaked chip Xeon Gold 6212U single-thread score: 4,772 - Used as a comparison point against the Ice Lake leak Multi-thread improvement: About 90% faster - The hosts summarize the Ice Lake part’s multi-thread advantage over the current Xeon Apple compensation figure: $58.5 million - Referenced in a side discussion about Lisa Su/CEO compensation and performance-based pay Apple screw automation attempt: Since 2012 - The article discussed Apple attempting to automate micro-screw installation over many years MacBook automation setback: 88 screws; 6-month delay - Apple’s 12-inch MacBook automation attempt reportedly failed due to keyboard screw issues

Pivotal Quotes: "If you're going to steal something, you should steal something without a GPS in it." — Linus: Delivered after discussing Apple’s tracked stolen phones "It’s a Halo product" — AMD CFO (as quoted by the hosts): Used in the discussion of Big Navi and AMD’s high-end GPU positioning "Building a robot that can fasten screws is among the hardest challenges in the industry." — Apple engineers (via article quoted in show): Used to explain why Apple’s micro-screw automation is nontrivial

Implications: Listeners get a mix of product-news context and industry skepticism: tracking and anti-theft tech are increasingly effective, GPU competition matters for the whole market, and manufacturing/software automation is harder than it looks. The episode also reinforces the show’s pragmatic, joke-heavy style.