June 29, 2026

TWiT 1090: Flock of SQLs - Apple & Microsoft Grapple With Soaring Hardware Prices

Tech giants and chipmakers are facing off as AI-fueled memory shortages trigger sweeping price hikes on everything from Macs to game consoles. Hear why global supply chain standoffs, long-term contracts, and old-school market forces are quietly reshaping your daily technology. Apple and Microsoft hike prices on devices amid global memory shortages Surge in AI data centers drives RAM and storage crisis Intel's comeback: Core Ultra chips compete with AMD in handheld gaming Microsoft's pivot to ARM, Qualcomm-NVIDIA alliance, and x86 rivalry AI fear and backlash; organic concern amplified by international actors White House abruptly pulls Anthropic's Fable model, sparking industry uproar US government U-turns on AI regulation, restricts top models to select partners Tension over AI innovation vs. regulatory "rug pull" and global competition Smart home chaos: Matter 1.6 standard, Samsung and Level Lock shake-up Debate over local vs. cloud smart home control and API access fees Ring and Flock cameras ignite privacy and surveillance state concerns Social media bans for under-16s fail in Australia, UK, and Norway plan similar rules BBC Radio 4 long wave broadcast ends after a century Meta gets caught tracking employees for AI; PlayStation deletes owned movies US regulators propose removing brake pedals from Robotaxis Ford's automated systems flop, company rehiring engineers Farewell to tech journalist and GigaOm founder Om Malik Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Dan Patterson, and Daniel Rubino Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Simply CX box.com/AI meter.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit superhuman.com

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