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