Apple is Paying for Apple Intelligence

Summary of Apple is Paying for Apple Intelligence

by MKBHD

1h 54m•May 8, 2026
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Overview of Apple is Paying for Apple Intelligence

This episode of Waveform with MKBHD is a mix of Apple and Google news, personal tech setup talk, and a long newlywed-style game segment. The biggest themes are: Marquez’s move toward a single “everything computer” MacBook Pro setup, his newfound love for ultra-thin phones like the iPhone Air, Google’s upcoming Android/Gemini announcements, and Apple’s growing willingness to lean on third-party AI models instead of trying to build everything itself.

Main Tech Topics

Marquez’s new MacBook Pro-only workflow

  • Marquez explains that he ditched the Mac Pro after Apple discontinued it and is now testing whether a 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro can replace both his desktop and laptop.
  • He’s using the laptop as a “one computer” setup with:
    • dual Apple Studio Displays
    • a CalDigit TS5 Plus dock
    • keyboard, mouse, DAC, and storage all connected through one cable
  • The goal is convenience and flexibility: one machine at the desk, but still portable for travel.
  • The only major snag so far is that his Universal Audio DAC refuses to work properly through the dock and has to be plugged in directly.

The iPhone Air and “thin phone” conversion

  • The hosts revisit the iPhone Air and Marquez says the phone has basically “radicalized” him in favor of thinner, lighter phones.
  • He tried to go back to a Pro model and immediately felt how heavy and bulky it was.
  • What he misses most on the Air:
    • the ultrawide camera
    • the battery
  • His workaround for the missing camera system is a modular add-on camera rig called Kyra Camera, which uses a micro four-thirds sensor and interchangeable lenses, with the phone acting as the interface.
  • David shares a travel story showing exactly how weak the Air’s battery can be in real-world use: on a trip where he forgot a power adapter, his Air died far earlier than his other phones, while the more battery-heavy Android phones held up much better.
  • Their broader takeaway: the Air is a great phone, but it still makes too many compromises unless Apple adds better battery tech and more camera flexibility.

Google News

“Biggest Android updates ever” teaser

  • Google is teasing the upcoming Android Show and calling it the biggest Android update ever.
  • The teaser prominently features glowing neon-blue/pink Android visuals and the Android robot, which some online compared to Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design language.
  • The hosts speculate that:
    • Google may be introducing a new design direction called Luminous Design
    • a lot of the glow language may be tied to Gemini and Pixel styling
  • They’re curious, but also skeptical about whether the hype can match the actual features.

Google Home / Gemini improvements

  • Google Home is getting a Gemini upgrade that can handle:
    • multiple commands at once
    • more complex voice requests
    • recurring all-day events
    • moving calendar events by voice
  • They also mention new desktop management features for smart home control, camera-history search, and routine creation from a computer.
  • The hosts like the direction, but both still wish Gmail search were much better.

Apple News

Apple may let users choose AI models in Apple Intelligence

  • Bloomberg reports that in iOS 27, Apple may let users choose which AI model powers different Apple Intelligence features.
  • The idea is that Apple may stop trying to compete directly with OpenAI, Google, Claude, etc. on model quality and instead become the platform that runs whichever model the user wants.
  • Possible examples discussed:
    • Gemini for Siri-like tasks
    • ChatGPT for image generation
    • Claude for reasoning-heavy tasks
  • The hosts think this is a pragmatic move: Apple owns the hardware, so it can become the best place to run whichever model wins.
  • They also note it’s unclear what the UI will look like, how subscriptions will work, or whether Apple will subsidize access.

Apple settles Siri / Apple Intelligence lawsuit

  • Apple is set to pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it misled buyers about Apple Intelligence and Siri features.
  • Eligible customers include people who bought:
    • an iPhone 15 Pro
    • or any iPhone 16
    • during the specified window
  • The hosts frame this as Apple effectively paying for promising AI features before they were ready.

Other Recurring Bits and Stories

David’s viral chess photo

  • David explains a viral photo he took of a man sitting at a chess table in New York, but playing chess on a laptop instead of with another person.
  • He says the image was meant as a visual metaphor for modern life: people connecting online instead of face-to-face.
  • The photo sparked lots of backlash and quote-tweet rage bait, with many people missing the metaphor and taking it literally.
  • The hosts discuss how viral social media often strips away context and rewards the most inflammatory takes.

“Did they even test this?”

  • Google Tasks: one complaint is that the “upcoming” list shows all future reminders with no useful time filtering, making it cluttered.
  • X Chat: they criticize X for launching a separate chat app that seems redundant and confusing, especially since DMs already exist inside X.

Game Segment: Newlywed-Style Tech Game

The middle of the episode is a long team game where the hosts guess how their partners would answer tech-personality questions. Highlights include:

  • Guilty pleasure app guesses:
    • one answer was Pokémon TCG Pocket
    • another was Twitter/X, due to chaos and doomscrolling
  • “Most overhyped tech”:
    • the Humane AI Pin came up as a strong candidate
  • Battery anxiety:
    • Marquez’s panic point is much higher than everyone expected
    • some hosts are comfortable running phones to near zero, others freak out much earlier
  • Preferred phone shape:
    • one year with a fold vs flip phone
  • The hosts also argue about:
    • read receipt vs read receipt
    • whether they prefer dashes or bullets in docs
    • which phone each person would use forever
  • The final round is about unread emails and ends with Mariah and Ellis winning the game.

Trivia Answers Mentioned in the Episode

  • Chromebook Pixel (2013) screen size: about 12.85 inches
  • Old glowing MacBook logo: lit by the LCD backlight shining through the cutout in the aluminum

Overall Takeaways

  • Apple seems to be shifting from “we will build the best AI model” to “we will give users access to the best AI model.”
  • Thin phones are getting a serious endorsement in this episode, but battery and camera compromises still matter.
  • Google is hyping a major Android/Gemini moment, but the hosts are waiting to see whether it’s a real platform shift or just a design refresh.
  • Social media keeps rewarding context-stripping, rage-bait interpretations of otherwise thoughtful posts.
  • The episode balances real product analysis with the usual Waveform banter and game-show chaos.