Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

Episode: The Apple Release Tier List
Date: March 13, 2026
Hosts: Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), Andrew Cunningham, David Imel, Adam Molina, Ellis Roven

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest Apple device launches, ranking them on personal and public excitement, with commentary on their significance in Apple's evolving lineup. Other big topics include the chaotic state of volume controls in modern tech, AI monitoring fast food workers (featuring Burger King's "Patty" chatbot), the odd "robot phone" from Honor, and concerns around privacy with Meta AI Ray-Ban glasses. The crew also covers big changes to Google’s developer tax, all with their trademark wit and tech-heavy banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tech UI Rant — Volume Control Nightmares

[02:24–13:02]

• Andrew vents about his Subaru Forester's bad volume UI: adjusting volume takes over the entire screen, sometimes blocking Google Maps while navigating.
  • "The volume UI is horrible. It's the worst thing ever."—Andrew [02:37]
• The group analyzes volume step increments in devices (38 steps? 16 steps? 25 steps? Why do numbers matter so much?).
  • Marques prefers no numbers: "I review cars that don't have a number attached to volume, and I'm so much happier." [09:31]
  • Adam jokes that Marques needs clinical help for being irked by "14" as a volume setting. [09:49]
• Tangent: Numbers make people weirdly happy or uneasy when adjusting them.

2. Fast Food Workers, AI & Surveillance

[13:15–18:19]

• Burger King now pilots an AI voice assistant named Patty, which listens to employees’ interactions, measuring “friendliness” (e.g., use of "please" and "thank you").
  • "This just sounds like the worst thing ever. Why are we..."—Andrew [15:17]
• Crew rants about surveillance culture, privacy violations, and sarcastic AI detection.
  • David: "Knowing that there is something that is always listening...is freaking terrifying." [19:24]
  • Marques: "We got to tell our investors we're making the company better and using AI to do it." [19:53]
• One potentially helpful feature: quickly updating drive-thru menus if items sell out via headset. But consensus is this AI oversteps boundaries.

3. Apple’s Spring Release Tier List (Main Theme)

[20:43–44:01]

Products Discussed:

• iPad Air (M4)
• iPhone 17E
• Studio Display & Studio Display XDR
• M5 MacBook Air
• M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros
• MacBook Neo

Marques’ Excitement Tier (Personal)

1. Studio Display XDR – "It is better in every single way on paper other than being smaller... and it comes with a stand." [22:19]
2. MacBook Neo – Fascinated by form factor and performance.
3. M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros – "They seem to have a surprising performance bump in a couple interesting ways." [24:21]

• Rest: iPhone 17E, MacBook Air, iPad Air M4, Studio Display (standard) in a less excited "tied" group

Public Tier List (General Excitement)

1. MacBook Neo – Most chatter, affordable, appealing to students.
2. iPhone 17E – As usual, iPhones draw mass interest.
3. Studio Displays – Studio Display XDR gets attention for mini-LED, high refresh rate; regular is seen as boring/stagnant.

• Pro/Air/iPad Air: Less buzz due to incremental updates.

Upgrade Timing Dilemma

• The crew discusses whether to upgrade to M5 or wait for rumored M6 devices (possible November release and OLED screens).
  • "Mariah is going to retire and still have that M1..."—Andrew [30:10]

MacBook Neo vs. Air — Who Should Buy What?

• Consensus: Neo is now the “default” for students/most users.
  • Marques: "For the 97% of people, I’m starting with Neo..." [39:29]
• Air still a "safe bet," but Neo is cheaper, covers most needs, and is set as the new baseline.
• Storage advice: get more than you use now, plan on increased needs over device lifetime.

Device Naming Speculation

• Will Apple use “Studio” or “Ultra” for the rumored high-end MacBook? lively debate on if the chip and laptop names must match [33:14–36:38].
  • "I don't think they can get away with naming it MacBook Ultra and not putting the Ultra chip in it. That's all I'm saying."—Marques [35:41]

Touchscreen MacBooks?

• Debate whether a pro-focused touchscreen MacBook makes sense or dilutes the pro brand [37:51].
  • "The touchscreen feels like more of a casual feature."—Andrew

4. The Honor “Robot Phone” — What Even Is This?

[48:33–54:27]

• At MWC, Honor demoed a phone with a built-in Osmo-style gimbal camera and "robotic" anthropomorphic features (the camera can nod, shake, and “judge” you).
  • "I just think there's a reason why they don't let people hold this thing."—Marques [51:06]
• Intended for vlogging, backpack POV, and social features.
• The term "robot" is mostly a marketing gimmick, not actual robotics.
• Unlikely global release; maybe China-only.

5. Privacy Nightmare: Meta AI Ray-Ban Glasses

[54:27–66:32]

• Investigation reveals Meta AI Ray-Ban glasses send audio/video to a labeling facility (Sama) in Kenya for annotation—to help train AI.
• Privacy scandal: Annotators see tons of personal, intimate, and even embarrassing content.
  • "This is all really icky… I just don't want people seeing potentially stuff like that, especially when you don't know when it's ever recording this stuff."—Andrew [58:36]
• Opt-out not available for AI features; camera indicators ambiguous, making it unclear when recording is live.
  • Meta’s terms of service allow this; most users aren’t aware.
  • Comparison to earlier "content moderation" labor abuses.
• Rule of thumb: Assume any always-on camera is storing footage forever.

6. Google’s Developer Tax ("Google Tax") Changes

[66:32–71:00]

• Google drops their Play Store tax from 30% to usually 20% for most developers, apparently in response to lawsuits and regulatory pressure.
• Third-party app stores can now be more easily installed (especially outside the US).
• Adam jokes: Tim Sweeney (Epic Games) can’t complain for three years.
• Verdict: Slightly better for devs but complicated; echoes Apple’s "malicious compliance" move in the past.
  • "If you're a developer and actually need a lot more information on this... I'll link the Verge article."—Andrew [69:47]

7. NBA Tangent — 83 Points!

[77:20–89:32]

• Marques explains in detail Bam Adebayo’s record-breaking 83-point NBA game in relatable tech terms.
  • "This would be like if we turned around and said: Ellis, what's your iPhone's battery percentage right now? And you still had the 12 mini. ... This is my 70th hour... And now there's a benchmark result saying the iPhone 12 mini has the longest battery..." [80:13]
• Highlights:
  • Team and game circumstances made the scoring possible (coincidence, coaching intent, triple-teams ignored, tanking opponent).
  • Comparison: Pixel phone suddenly beating Samsung/Apple in a benchmark.
  • Additional context: scoring anomalies, player comparisons, and NBA tanking for draft picks.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On volume UI:
  "Numbers make me mad. Music makes me happy."—Andrew [08:47]
• On AI’s role at Burger King:
  "This is piloting in 500 different Burger Kings... Sounds absolutely hellscape."—Andrew [13:56]
• On privacy and Meta glasses:
  "This is all really icky. ... I just don't want people seeing potentially stuff like that, especially when you don't know when it's ever recording."—Andrew [58:36]
• On the new Apple display:
  "It is better in every single way on paper other than being smaller. ... and it comes with a stand."—Marques [22:19]
• On MacBook Neo as a default pick:
  "For the 97% of people, I’m starting with Neo."—Marques [39:29]
• On Google’s tax change:
  "It's just Google trying to save their ass, because both Google and Apple make a huge amount of money being the traffic stop for app stores."—David [70:21]
• On Bam Adebayo's NBA record:
  "I wanna show you the last three minutes... when everyone in the building is like, do not let that man score. And he's like, I'ma score."—Marques [90:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Volume UI Rant: 02:24–13:02
• Fast Food AI Monitoring: 13:15–18:19
• Apple’s Tier List/Main Rankings: 20:43–44:01
• Honor "Robot Phone": 48:33–54:27
• Meta AI Ray-Ban Privacy Issue: 54:27–66:32
• Google Tax Changes: 66:32–71:00
• NBA 83-Point Game Tech Analogy: 77:20–89:32

Additional Notes

• Brief discussion on the confusion of volume step numbers, UI design, and why some people need precise numbers while others prefer vague controls.
• Lively speculation on Apple hardware and naming strategies — with references to the notorious challenge of "MacBook Ultra" vs. "MacBook Studio" branding.
• Multiple offbeat moments—discussions of NBA stats through the lens of consumer tech, and the analogies make the episode highly accessible even to those less interested in sports.

Waveform’s style is casual, quick-witted, and irreverent, with as much humor as insight. This episode is both a geek’s guide to Apple’s new hardware and a critical look at the state of pervasive surveillance and privacy in the tech world—a must-listen for thoughtful tech-heads and everyday gadget fans alike.