The Apple Release Tier List

Summary of The Apple Release Tier List

by MKBHD

1h 35m•March 13, 2026
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Overview of The Apple Release Tier List

This episode of the Waveform Podcast (hosts Marques, Andrew and David) covers a wide set of tech and culture stories: a rant about terrible in‑car volume UIs, a Pixel bug update, Burger King’s new AI headset assistant (“Patty”) and its workplace/privacy concerns, a detailed discussion and excitement ranking of Apple’s recent product launches (M5/Neo/Studio Display XDR etc.), Honor’s new “robot phone” with a built‑in gimbal and a camera partner reveal, a disturbing report about Meta/Ray‑Ban glasses sending footage to human annotators, Google’s Play Store fee changes, and a sports detour on Bam Adebayo’s 83‑point NBA performance. Snacks: sponsor reads and usual banter/trivia (WALL·E/EVE acronyms, Honor partner).

Key topics and takeaways

Volume UI rant (cars & devices)

  • Hosts complain about car volume UIs that take over the entire screen (blocking navigation), use odd circular scales with weird middles (e.g., 38/19), or otherwise have poor feedback when your hand covers the physical control.
  • Practical wish: subtle side bar volume indicator + numeric readout (or no visible numbers) so you can see maps/turns while adjusting volume.
  • Also discussed: inconsistent volume handling between devices (projector vs. Google TV dongle, phone vs. car Bluetooth).

Pixel WhatsApp/proximity bug update

  • Issue some hosts experienced (phone switching audio due to proximity sensor while wearing headphones) appears to be device-specific (Pixel hardware quirk). One host switched to an S26 Ultra and the issue stopped — likely a Pixel model problem.

Burger King’s “Patty” AI (500‑store pilot)

  • What it does: voice-enabled bot in employee headsets to help with food prep, inventory updates (e.g., mark items out of stock), and to monitor/score employee “friendliness” by listening to headset audio (phrases like “welcome,” “please,” “thank you”).
  • Pros: could automate inventory/menu updates across POS/kiosks/drive‑thru (potentially useful).
  • Cons/concerns: surveillance and morale issues for low‑paid staff; tone detection is error‑prone (sarcasm misread as friendliness); feels like constant monitoring and potential for misuse; workers may be unfairly judged or exposed to privacy risks.

Recommendation from hosts: sympathetic to frontline workers — this is a troubling direction for labor monitoring; inventory automation is the only reasonable upside.

Apple releases: what’s new, excitement and practical advice

Products discussed (embargoes lifted, reviews circulating):

  • Studio Display XDR (27" 5K, mini‑LED, 120 Hz, high brightness, expensive but high‑end)
  • Studio Display (regular update)
  • MacBook Neo (new SKU/name, impressive performance/IO)
  • MacBook Pro (M5 Pro and M5 Max with big read/write and GPU gains)
  • MacBook Air (M5)
  • iPad Air (M4)
  • iPhone 17e

Hosts’ excitement (Marques’ personal ranking):

  1. Studio Display XDR — replacing older Pro Display XDR for him; huge jump in specs, includes stand and is cheaper than the old 32" 6K option but is 27" (less screen real estate).
  2. MacBook Neo — curiosity to test; strong real-world performance in many workflows.
  3. M5 MacBook Pros (Pro & Max) — large performance/storage IO gains (read/write speeds reported up to ~18,000 MB/s in some reviews). 4–7. MacBook Air (M5), iPad Air (M4), iPhone 17e, Studio Display (regular) — viewed as solid updates but less exciting relative to Neo, XDR, or the M5 Pro/Max machines.

Public hype vs. hosts:

  • Public hype: MacBook Neo tops interest, iPhone 17e and Studio Display XDR next. Many consumers were disappointed by the regular Studio Display (still 60 Hz, $1,600).
  • Pricing & positioning notes: Apple reduced prices on several devices (benefitted from global memory/flash conditions), shifted base model options, and rebalanced storage. M5 lineup and rumored MacBook Ultra / OLED laptop are creating upgrade timing dilemmas for professionals.

Buying guidance:

  • Default recommendation for most users: Neo (new default for many) or M5 MacBook Air if budget/needs are modest.
  • If you know you need heavy pro workloads (video, AI acceleration), consider M5 Pro/Max; for most people, Air or Neo suffice.
  • Storage advice: check current storage usage, assume ~50% growth over your ownership period and buy accordingly (512 GB recommended over 256 GB if you expect heavier use).
  • Touch ID vs. Apple Watch unlock: Touch ID is more convenient if you prefer not to type the password repeatedly unless you rely on Apple Watch unlock.

Rumors:

  • Discussion of a possible MacBook “Ultra” / MacBook Studio naming and whether it would house an Ultra‑class chip (M5 Ultra/M6 Ultra). Naming and chip mapping remain murky; screen (OLED vs mini‑LED) and touch features are the real differentiators being speculated.

Honor’s “Robot Phone” (MWC demo)

  • What it is: a smartphone with an integrated mechanical 4‑degree‑of‑freedom gimbal inspired by DJI Osmo Pocket, which folds out of the phone body; marketed as a “robot phone” (gadgets nod and move, anthropomorphic behaviors).
  • Camera: large 200 MP sensor (used mainly to crop/stabilize video), gimbal for stabilized POV shots; hardware forms a deep and pronounced rear bump.
  • Additional: Honor revealed a camera partner for the device — ARRI (the cinematic camera company).
  • Concerns and practical issues: big, deep camera bump; structural/waterproofing questions; pocketability; durability and wobble; limited hands‑on demos (units displayed on stands). Release timeline unclear; likely initially limited/China‑first and expensive.

Meta/Ray‑Ban AI glasses privacy story

  • Reporting summary: A Swedish investigation found Meta was sending users’ recordings and AI interactions (including video/audio) from Ray‑Ban Meta smart glasses to human annotators at a company called Sama in Kenya for labeling and improving models.
  • Key concerns:
    • Annotators reportedly saw extremely sensitive content (intimate situations, people in bathrooms/changing rooms, banking details), because camera captures were sometimes sent when users didn’t realize recording/AI context was active.
    • Meta claims face blurring is applied before human review, but the blurring often fails (lighting, angle), and annotators frequently saw faces.
    • Terms of service: Meta’s policies disclose that AI interactions “may be reviewed” and can be manual/human, but users typically aren’t given clear, understandable opt‑in/opt‑out choices.
    • Indicator lights and UI: hosts tested and found ambiguous feedback — some camera/AI prompts do not visibly indicate camera activation clearly, meaning users don’t always know when footage is being used.
  • Practical advice: If you own Meta/Ray‑Ban glasses, read the coverage and assume AI interactions may leave your device and be seen by humans; push for explicit opt‑ins and clearer UI indicators. Meta’s move was framed as data‑collection to improve AI features, but raises major privacy and labor ethics concerns (compensation and conditions for annotators).

Google Play Store fee changes (TL;DR)

  • Google announced reductions/changes to Play Store fees as part of settlements and product adjustments:
    • General headline: many fees drop to around 20% (or less) in many cases; specific rates vary by transaction type, existing installs, and whether Google billing is used.
    • New capability: Google will allow registered third‑party app stores (making sideloading/alternative store downloads easier) outside the U.S., a significant change for distribution in many regions.
    • Rollout timeline (high level): by June 30 — UK & US changes; Sept 30 — Australia; Dec 31 — Korea & Japan; full global rollout by Sept 30, 2027 (staggered).
  • Commentary: This is a major industry shift, similar to prior Apple changes — complex rules and edge cases will matter for developers. It eases the burden on large titles and third‑party stores, but legal/implementation detail still complex.

Bam Adebayo’s 83‑point game (sports detour)

  • What happened: Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a single NBA game — second‑most in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain holds the 100‑point game historically).
  • Context & “asterisks”:
    • Many late‑game plays were intentionally big‑ball possessions to get Bam scoring opportunities (coach/arena aware and cooperating).
    • Bam attempted 43 free throws (an NBA record for attempts in the game), and his team funneled him possessions.
    • He shot 7/22 from three and shot under 50% overall for the game — lots of volume and many trips to the line.
    • Opponent environment: Washington had a very weak roster during that game (coaching/roster choices to prioritize draft positioning), but by the end the opponent still tried to stop Bam defensively.
  • Hosts analogize the historic oddness to a benchmark with an unusual test condition (the “iPhone 12 mini battery day‑four” type asterisk).
  • Sports takeaway: memorable, rare performance; historically notable even if context shaped part of it.

Notable quotes and insights

  • “Patty lives in hell” — succinct host reaction to an AI headset that scores workers’ friendliness.
  • On Studio Display XDR: “It’s better in every single way on paper other than being smaller” — captures the tradeoff of 27" vs 32".
  • On Meta glasses: “If you own a device with a camera, assume it is always recording and that footage will be stored somewhere forever” — pragmatic (and bleak) frame.

Trivia & quick factual answers

  • Honor robot phone camera partner: ARRI (cinema camera company).
  • WALL·E acronym: Waste Allocation Load Lifter — Earth-Class.
  • EVE acronym (from WALL·E): Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator.

Recommended actions for listeners

  • If you own Meta/Ray‑Ban smart glasses: read the investigation, check privacy settings, avoid using them with sensitive info nearby, and lobby for explicit opt‑in/opt‑out controls and clearer camera indicator UI.
  • If you’re shopping Apple laptops: consider MacBook Neo as the new default for most users; buy a higher storage config (512 GB) if you expect multi‑year use with media files; choose Air, Neo or Pro depending on workload (Air = safe budget pick; Neo = default; Pro = heavy pro users).
  • For developers: watch Google’s Play Store changes closely — fees, billing options and registered third‑party stores will materially affect distribution and economics.
  • If you care about worker privacy and ethics: monitor deployments of workplace AI like Burger King’s “Patty” and support policies that protect employee privacy and fair labor practices.

Final note

This episode mixes practical product analysis (Apple launch breakdown), privacy and labor concerns (Meta and Burger King), unusual hardware (Honor robot phone + ARRI tie‑in), and cultural diversion (Bam’s 83). It’s useful listening whether you want quick consumer guidance about Apple buys, a heads‑up on privacy issues for wearable cameras, or a thought‑provoking take on how AI is being deployed at the point of service and work.