Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast – Episode Summary
Episode Title: “You’re Using Tabs Wrong”
Date: April 10, 2026
Hosts: Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), Andrew Liszewski, David Pierce, Adam Doud, Ellis Hamburger
Episode Overview
In this insightful and lively episode, the Waveform crew explores topics ranging from the future of tab management in browsers, NASA’s latest Artemis mission and its photographic feats, changes in messaging apps, the impact of AI on operating system security, to the design of notification bells for bikes in the era of noise-cancelling headphones. The hosts debate user interface choices, delve into recent tech news, and share technical as well as cultural commentary.
Key Topics & Discussions
1. Chrome Adds Vertical Tabs: The Great Tab Debate
- Segment Begins: 55:00
- David Pierce published a piece defending vertical browser tabs, as Chrome introduced the feature.
- Hosts’ Opinions:
- Marques, David, and Ellis: Pro-vertical tabs. They argue widescreens make vertical tab bars efficient, reclaiming vertical space for content.
- Andrew and Adam: Prefer horizontal tabs. Adam uses keyboard shortcuts (Command+1~9) and prefers Safari for battery life and security.
- Usability Considerations:
- “Your monitor’s widescreen. You have more horizontal space than vertical—use tabs on the side, you’ll never run out of room.” — Marques (61:27)
- If you use multiple browser windows side by side, vertical tabs can eat space.
- Debate morphs into larger UX/habit chat, referencing ARC and Safari’s features, and extending to browser choice, RAM, and security anxieties.
- Memorable Moment:
- “The real end to this whole debate is everyone has way too many tabs open and just do whatever you want.” — Andrew (72:22)
2. NASA Artemis 2 Mission: Shooting the Moon (with Phones)
- Segment Begins: 09:53
- Mission Highlights:
- Artemis 2 sent four astronauts in a week-long lunar flyby, swinging as close as 5,000 miles to the Moon, marking the farthest humans had been from Earth.
- For the first time, astronauts brought personal devices (iPhones and Androids), capturing unique ‘shot on iPhone’ images.
- “It’s just crazy to think that their camera roll...is a photo looking down on Earth from 250,000 miles away.” — Marques (13:25)
- Photography & Hardware Deep-Dive:
- Cameras used: Nikon D5 (chosen for large pixel pitch), Nikon Z9, GoPro Hero 4 Black, Hasselblad
- Discussion of why space missions use years-old hardware; reliability and compatibility trump latest specs.
- “There’s no Best Buy in space.” — Andrew (17:14)
- Live Streaming:
- The whole trip was livestreamed with a direct satellite relay to Earth.
- “Crazy. They could live stream this whole thing. Yet Netflix constantly can’t get Love Is Blind reunion streamed properly on time.” — Andrew (21:34)
- Image Licensing:
- No phone manufacturer paid to have devices included (“It’s wild to think...they probably have an iPhone.” — Andrew, 17:45)
- GoPro missed a marketing moment, but NASA’s government status precludes such branding.
3. UI/UX Pet Peeves in Mobile and OS Design
- Segment: 05:12–08:30
- Flashlight Quick Settings Rant: Andrew dislikes the design on Pixel, where the “big” tile brings up flashlight strength, while the “little button” toggles the flashlight — argues the main action should be immediate, with fine controls secondary.
- “A bigger touch target should be the more common, the more general thing.” — David (06:22)
- Discussion extends to iPhone’s Dynamic Island tap/long-press behavior, notification access, and screen-time metrics.
- “Your unlock number must be crazy high…” — Marques to David (08:11)
- Side rant: iOS and Android’s digital wellbeing/screen time is confusing if you own multiple devices.
4. Messaging Shake-Ups: Samsung Drops Its Messages App
- Segment Begins: 46:19
- News: Samsung announces abrupt discontinuation of its Messages app, now pushing users to Google Messages.
- Users given two months to switch; concern for less savvy users missing the switchover.
- “Less choice sucks. We’re gonna leave a little pause here for all the people who are about to type: ‘Just use WhatsApp.’” — Andrew (50:46)
- Side tangent: Ellis rants about excessive white space in Google Messages on Samsung, and how “useless” branding real estate crowds out information.
5. Tech News & Rumors: Folding Phones, Exclusive Colors, and AI on Phones
- iPhone Fold Rumors (29:07):
- Conflicting reports (even on the same site!) about Apple’s timeline—might be 2026 or 2027; hosts place bets on when/if the folded iPhone will arrive.
- “Is this what hedging your bet looks like in real time? This is crazy.” — Marques (29:23)
- Pixel 10a Japan-Exclusive Blue Rant (94:00):
- Ellis laments limited-edition colorways only in certain markets, and the variable availability/features of Pixel devices around the world.
- “Why do we get Wicked and Spongebob themes here in the States while Japan gets this?” — Ellis (95:49)
- LG’s Canceled Rollable Phone Teardown (25:50):
- Discussion of hardware ambition, design quirks. “It’s the most careful I’ve ever seen Zack be.” – Andrew (28:15)
6. Anthropic’s Project Glasswing & The Scary Power of AI in Security
- Segment Begins: 77:42
- Summary:
- Anthropic’s “Project Glasswing” is an alliance, leveraging their new Mythos model, which excels at coding and discovering OS/app vulnerabilities.
- The model autonomously found thousands of high-severity bugs, including kernel and browser exploits.
- Companies are racing to patch software before such models—eventually available to adversaries—cause havoc.
- Hosts are both impressed and skeptical: “As much as this seems legit and seems freaky deaky...they have a financial interest in lying, so maybe they’re lying, maybe they’re not.” — Adam (84:38)
- Memorable Example:
- An unpatched bug in FFmpeg, present for decades, and a 27-year-old bug in OpenBSD, discovered by Mythos.
- Discussion of the arms race in AI-driven cybersecurity, and doubt about vendor transparency.
- Notable Quote:
- “If you make software and you say we’re not going to make this available to the public, it will eventually become available...because someone else hacks you or because OpenAI or Google eventually develops an agent that’s just as powerful.” — David (82:17)
7. ANC-Defeating “Smart Bells” for Cyclists
- Segment Begins: 85:19
- Skoda, the automaker, developed a mechanical bicycle bell that produces tones designed to penetrate active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones—citing increasing cyclist-pedestrian collisions in cities.
- Technical breakdown: Targeted tone at 750Hz pierces ANC; a secondary, higher-frequency tone (2,000+ Hz) ensures audibility for those without headphones.
- “I want the bell and I want to see what it sounds like.” — Andrew (93:26)
- Discussion on headphone tech, frequency response, and a mini-rant about “frequency response charts.”
- “If anyone ever sends me a frequency response chart, block my number, bro.” — Adam (93:04)
8. Trademark Insanity: Whoop vs. Bevel
- Segment Begins: 105:55
- Andrew revisits his gripes with Whoop after learning they're suing Bevel, a competitor, for using terms like “strain” and “recovery” and design elements allegedly too similar (e.g., dark mode, colored rings, moon icon).
- “It really just feels a lot like the Fine Bros trying to trademark ‘React’…and we know how that ended.” — Andrew (113:17)
- Adam provides legal nuance about trademarks: specific to an industry/use, with bizarre examples like Taylor Swift’s 1989 and “this sick beat” trademarks.
Memorable Quotes
- “[On Artemis photos:] It’s just perspective. It’s not even so much about the phone that’s taking it.... they open up [their camera roll] and it’s a shot of the moon, which is somehow right next to them.” — Marques (13:25)
- “There’s no Best Buy in space.” — Andrew (17:14)
- “If something takes up a huge portion of your screen, but it’s only taking up pixels you’re not going to use anyway, who cares?” — Marques (67:36)
- “If you announce something and then you wait too long, people stop caring.” — David (31:26)
- “Don’t engage [conspiracy/rage bait]. Just keep scrolling.” — Marques (22:46)
- “The real end to this whole debate is everyone has way too many tabs open and just do whatever you want.” — Andrew (72:22)
- “If anyone ever sends me a frequency response chart, block my number, bro.” — Adam (93:04)
Notable Timestamps
- Browser Tab Debate: 55:00–73:45
- NASA Artemis Photo/Camera Segment: 09:53–24:45
- Samsung Messages Shut Down: 46:19–51:22
- Anthropic Project Glasswing: 77:42–85:18
- Skoda ANC Bike Bell: 85:19–93:45
- Whoop vs. Bevel Rant: 105:55–114:46
- Pixel 10a Color Rant & Google Japan: 94:10–97:59
Closing Thoughts
This episode stands out for its wide-ranging yet tightly interlinked tech commentary, friendly (and sometimes heated!) debates over usage habits, and for tackling both the very small (button layouts, notification annoyances) and the cosmic (literally—Artemis moonshots). As always, Waveform mixes hard tech with wit and lived experience, shining especially when the hosts disagree or share pet peeves.
Listener Call to Action:
Listeners are invited to submit questions at waveformsurvey.com for a future bonus Q&A episode.
For full context or nuance on any segment, refer to the provided timestamps. This summary excludes advertisements and intro/outro filler as requested.