Is The "PROLED" Macbook Any Good?

Summary of Is The "PROLED" Macbook Any Good?

by MKBHD

2h 2m•October 30, 2026
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Overview of Waveform Podcast

This episode is a fast-moving tech roundup centered on Apple’s big week of announcements, especially the new MacBook Pro with a tandem OLED touchscreen, plus a controversial OLED iPad mini, a chip-refresh iMac, and a broader conversation about Apple’s increasingly blurry product line. The hosts also cover Arc browser being sunset, display failures on the new dual-screen phone, MotionVFX being folded into Final Cut Pro, and a fascinating DIY/vibe-coding trend where people are rooting smart TVs to strip out spyware and build custom interfaces.

Apple’s Big Product Week

New iPad mini

  • Apple launched a redesigned iPad mini with:
    • OLED display
    • A20 Pro chip
    • 128GB base storage
    • 60Hz refresh rate
    • Landscape front camera
    • Touch ID instead of Face ID
    • IP67 rating
    • “Acoustic display” audio setup instead of traditional speaker holes
    • Optional nanotexture display, but only on higher storage tiers
  • The hosts were most critical of the pricing and laddering:
    • Base model starts at $700
    • Nanotexture requires upgrading storage first
    • Fully loaded versions climb to $1,250
  • Main complaint: for an OLED tablet in this price range, 60Hz feels intentionally limited.

M6 iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro refresh

  • These were described as mostly chip-only updates.
  • The iMac pitch leaned heavily on Intel-to-Apple Silicon comparison:
    • “Up to 18x faster” sounds dramatic, but mostly just highlights how old Intel iMacs are.
  • The 14-inch MacBook Pro also got an M6 refresh, but didn’t fundamentally change.

MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR touchscreen

  • This was the biggest hardware story of the episode.
  • Key upgrades discussed:
    • Tandem OLED display
    • Touchscreen support
    • Lighter chassis
    • New thermal design
    • Dynamic Island-style cutout
    • Glowing Apple logo on the lid
    • Slightly better speakers/bass
  • The hosts liked the screen and weight reduction, but were skeptical of the branding and naming:
    • “ProLED XDR” was widely mocked as a bad name.
  • Touchscreen takeaways:
    • It behaves more like a touchscreen-enabled Mac than a true touchscreen-first device.
    • Useful for gestures, scrolling, window movement, and occasional pro workflows.
    • No Apple Pencil support.
    • The feature feels optional, not transformative.
  • Bigger interpretation:
    • Apple seems more willing to blur the old boundaries between iPad, Mac, and iPhone-like experiences.

Arc Browser and the Browser Renaissance

  • The Browser Company’s Arc browser is officially being sunset.
  • The hosts revisited earlier public reassurances that Arc would not die, which makes the shutdown feel especially jarring.
  • The browser landscape now feels like a “browser renaissance,” with power users moving through:
    • Arc
    • Zen
    • Dia
    • Other Arc-like alternatives
  • The broader point: Arc influenced modern browser design far beyond its own user base.

Dual-Screen Phone / “Duo” Display Issues

  • The hosts discussed early reports of screen failures on the new folding/dual-screen phone.
  • The issue seems to affect the inner display near the hinge:
    • A recurring line appears across the screen
    • Some failures happen very early, even after minimal use
  • Possible explanations:
    • Hinge pinch points
    • Dust or grit entering the fold
    • A structural weak point in the internal support piece
  • The response from the company was treated as cautious but not catastrophic:
    • If affected, users should contact support for replacement
    • It appears to affect a small number of units, but enough that it drew attention
  • The hosts also discussed the ongoing tradeoffs of using the device:
    • Great for reading and portrait use
    • But camera compromises remain
    • Telephoto was preferred over ultrawide by at least one host

MotionVFX Being Built Into Final Cut Pro

  • Apple has brought MotionVFX into Final Cut Pro via a new subscription-style Creator Studio offering.
  • Notable points:
    • Users can browse and install MotionVFX plugins directly inside Final Cut
    • The library includes the MKBHD-branded plugin
    • The subscription model raises questions for people who already bought plugins individually
  • The hosts debated:
    • Whether existing one-time-purchase customers will be impacted
    • Whether Apple is slowly pushing Final Cut toward recurring revenue
  • Student pricing was highlighted as especially cheap, making it attractive for short-term projects.

Vibe Coding Smart TVs and Hacking Out the Spyware

  • One of the most interesting non-Apple segments was about rooting smart TVs.
  • The basic idea:
    • Use ADB or Samsung’s equivalent debug bridge to gain access
    • Remove tracking software and background services
    • Build custom TV interfaces
    • Use AI tools like Claude to help automate the process
  • The hosts described smart TVs as deeply invasive:
    • Network sweeps for devices
    • Screenshots taken multiple times per second
    • Microphone-related surveillance behavior
    • Heavy data collection and selling of user activity
  • One host built a browser-based streaming box and custom 3D menu system instead of relying on the TV OS.
  • Main caution:
    • This is powerful, but risky
    • It’s very easy to brick a TV if you don’t know what you’re doing

Key Takeaways

  • Apple’s product strategy is getting more experimental, but also more expensive.
  • The new MacBook Pro is less about a single killer feature and more about a package of quality-of-life upgrades.
  • The iPad mini refresh shows Apple’s favorite habit: making you pay more for one feature you really want.
  • Arc’s shutdown is another reminder that beloved products can still disappear.
  • Vibe coding and modern AI tools are making reverse engineering and hardware customization far more accessible than before.

Notable Moments and Commentary

  • The hosts repeatedly joked that the MacBook Pro display name, “ProLED XDR,” sounds awkward and overengineered.
  • The touchscreen MacBook was framed as:
    • useful
    • interesting
    • not a revolution
  • The smart TV segment stood out for its warning tone:
    • “Your TV is spying on you” was treated less like paranoia and more like an uncomfortable reality.
  • The episode closed with the sense that 2026’s tech landscape is becoming more customizable, but also more fragmented and expensive.

Trivia and Closing

  • The episode ended with spooky trivia, including a joke prompt about a startup making genetically modified, cybernetically augmented cloned dogs.
  • The segment was more playful than informative, but it fit the Halloween theme and the episode’s broader “tech is getting weird” vibe.