Overview of Waveform Podcast
This episode is a grab bag of tech-news commentary, product hands-on impressions, and the hosts’ usual off-the-rails banter. The biggest themes are Instagram’s push into long-form video, Google’s messy AI defaults in schools, and a pair of new Apple products: the redesigned iPad mini and the touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro. There’s also a funny side story about a missing dbrand accessory that turned into a studio-wide scavenger hunt.
Main Topics Covered
Instagram wants to be more like YouTube
The hosts spent a long stretch discussing Instagram’s new support for long-form, widescreen video and what it means for the platform.
- Instagram is now letting creators post longer horizontal videos more directly in-feed.
- The hosts view this as part of a broader trend: platforms increasingly copying one another.
- Instagram already borrowed Stories from Snapchat and Reels from TikTok.
- Now it’s moving into YouTube territory with long-form video.
- They debated whether this will actually work:
- Skeptical view: Instagram doesn’t have YouTube’s creator monetization, so creators may not trust it.
- Optimistic view: Instagram already has massive distribution, strong sharing, and lots of users who repost clips anyway.
- A major criticism was Instagram’s framing of this as “about connecting with friends.”
- The hosts argued Instagram is clearly no longer just a friend-connection app.
- The real motivation seems to be keeping users inside Meta’s ecosystem and capturing more video watch time, especially on TV.
- They also noted rumors/indications of a creator bonus program, but emphasized that one-time payouts are not the same as a real, permanent revenue-share model.
Google Classroom AI defaults and school restrictions
The episode also covered Google’s decision-making around AI in education.
- Google had enabled AI features by default in Classroom for K-12 users.
- Schools pushed back, especially over cheating concerns and control over student learning tools.
- Google now says schools will eventually be able to disable AI tools.
- However, if a school turns off AI entirely, Google says students may also lose access to Google Search in that environment.
- The hosts called this “malicious compliance”:
- If schools reject Google’s AI tools, Google effectively tells them they may not get the rest of the Google experience either.
- They also discussed Google’s “guided learning” approach, which aims to help students work toward answers rather than just generate them directly.
- The hosts were skeptical that this meaningfully solves the cheating problem.
OpenAI search usage is growing fast
A related AI note: OpenAI reportedly said ChatGPT search/query volume is about 20% of Google’s total query volume.
- The hosts were surprised by how large that number is.
- Their takeaway: Google is still enormous, but ChatGPT is no longer a niche tool.
- They joked that if Google bans AI in schools, OpenAI may see an opening to court educators.
Apple Product Discussions
iPad mini: beautiful, thin, and overpriced
Marquez gave a hands-on impression of the new iPad mini, and the verdict was mostly positive on hardware but critical on value.
- He likes the redesign:
- Thinner and lighter
- OLED display
- A20 Pro chip
- Speaker design that enables front-facing audio and water resistance
- But he strongly criticized the pricing and feature ladder:
- Base storage starts at 128GB
- Still only 60Hz
- Higher storage and nano-texture options push the price up quickly
- His main complaint: Apple should have either made it $500 again or given it 120Hz.
- He argued that Apple is deliberately holding features back to preserve the pricing ladder across the iPad lineup.
Touchscreen MacBook Pro: an “option,” not a revolution
The new MacBook Pro was discussed in detail as well.
- This is the first MacBook Pro with:
- OLED display
- Touchscreen support
- Slightly thinner/lighter chassis
- Dynamic Island-style camera cutout
- Marquez’s take:
- The OLED and thinner design matter more than the touchscreen.
- The touch implementation feels more like an added option than a fully rethought interface.
- The hosts agreed that Apple is still treating the MacBook as a Mac first and touch device second.
- They discussed:
- Wobble when tapping the screen
- How touch mostly works for simple gestures and navigation
- The fact that Apple clearly still considers the iPad the “touch-first” computer
- Marquez also noted that Apple seems to be using these upgrades to push people off older M1/M2 Macs.
Side Stories and Funny Moments
The Butterball Buddy gadget
A Thanksgiving marketing gadget from Butterball came up as a bizarre but real product.
- It’s a small turkey-themed device that gets passed around like hot potato.
- Whoever it lands on gets assigned a Thanksgiving chore.
- The hosts thought it was funny, weird, and very on-brand for a company trying to gamify holiday labor.
Mariah’s app complaints
Mariah also came in with a few “did they even test this?” complaints.
- Rocket Money
- She wants better desktop support for manual transactions and subcategories.
- The hosts agreed that locking basic power-user features to mobile is frustrating.
- Fitbod on foldable/Duo-style devices
- The app seemed broken in its updated layout.
- The team suspected it may have been rushed or only tested in an emulator.
- The broader point:
- Many apps still don’t properly adapt to new screen formats or foldable-style layouts.
The missing iPad mini Prism
One of the funniest behind-the-scenes stories involved a dbrand accessory.
- Marquez thought a specific iPad mini screen protector had been lost in the studio.
- The whole team searched trash bags and the studio for nearly an hour.
- It turned out the item had never been sent in the first place.
- So the “missing” accessory was really just a false memory and a misunderstanding from the package list.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram’s long-form push is really a YouTube challenge.
- The platform is trying to capture more video watch time, especially on larger screens.
- Creator monetization still matters.
- Without stable revenue share, Instagram may struggle to attract serious long-form creators.
- Google’s AI school policy is messy.
- The company appears to be forcing a tradeoff between AI restrictions and full Google access.
- Apple continues to use product tiering aggressively.
- The iPad mini and MacBook Pro are both strong devices, but the company is clearly spacing out features to preserve upsell paths.
- Touchscreen MacBooks are real now, but not revolutionary.
- Apple added touch without fundamentally changing macOS’s philosophy.
Trivia Answers
Question 1
How many buttons on Google’s homepage linked to Gemini?
- Answer: 6
Question 2
How long were mobile uploads allowed on IGTV?
- Answer: 15 minutes
Final Thoughts
This episode is mostly a conversation about where tech platforms are converging: Instagram becoming more like YouTube, Google pushing AI deeper into education, and Apple slowly folding touch into the Mac. The tone is playful, but the underlying theme is serious: almost every major tech company is trying to copy the others’ successful formats while keeping users locked into its own ecosystem.