《The Verge Cast》的最新一集深入探讨了苹果最近的发布会，讨论了新硬件、AI 功能和本地大语言模型（LLM）的性能，最后以“雷鸣快报”（thunder round）环节的科技新闻速览作结。 播客由执行编辑 Jake Castronakis 和 Allison Johnson 开场，他们出席了苹果在加利福尼亚举办的发布会。此次发布会标志着 John Ternus 首次以苹果首席执行官（CEO）的身份亮相，为公司设定了新的“氛围”（vibe）。Ternus 强调了苹果的“创新精神”（creative spirit）以及设备作为“个人智能中心”（personal intelligent hub）的理念，他回顾了领导苹果的荣幸，并强调了公司对用户体验的关注。值得注意的是，本次发布会的结构不同寻常，直接从 iPhone Pro 和 Apple Watch 的软件功能开始，而不是先详细介绍硬件，这与往年有所不同。 关于新款 **iPhone Pro (iPhone 18 Pro)**，Allison 指出硬件改动很小，除了 A20 Pro 芯片和 Pro Max 的电池略大一些之外。主要侧重于先进的相机功能：手动曝光控制和可变光圈（F 1.48 至 F 4）。尽管这些对于专业人士来说确实是强大的工具，但 Allison 对其对于普通用户的日常实用性表示怀疑，特别是考虑到小传感器可能带来的噪点问题。 **iPhone Duo**，苹果新款折叠屏手机，是一个主要亮点。售价从 $1,999 到 $3,199 不等，它配备一块 5.4 英寸的外屏和一块 7.6 英寸的内屏。Allison 在体验过之后，形容它“非常棒”（really nice），手感“自然”（natural），赞扬了磨砂内屏减少眩光的效果以及可以接受的折痕。尽管她承认与三星 Z Fold 8 相比，iPhone Duo 稍重且更厚，但她强调了 MagSafe 的加入是一项实用功能。软件体验（iOS）因其完善性而受到赞扬，提供了“带辅助轮的折叠屏”（foldable on training wheels）方案，最多支持两个应用程序。苹果强调折叠和展开状态之间的无缝衔接以及广泛的应用程序优化，旨在提供熟悉且完善的体验，这与安卓更开放但有时“笨拙”（wonky）的多应用环境形成对比。 V. Song 加入讨论，介绍了新款 **Apple Watch (Series 12 和 Ultra 4)**。重点主要集中在软件上，改进源于升级的传感器阵列，旨在实现更好的皮肤接触和更准确的数据收集。新传感器能够实现更频繁的心率测量（每 5 秒一次，增加了 60 倍）并能测量心率变异性（HRV），从而提供新的“准备度”（readiness）功能。尽管这些功能使 Apple Watch 更接近 Oura Ring 和 Whoop 等竞争对手，但 V. Song 对“健康年龄”（health age）指标表示怀疑，提倡常识性的健康习惯，而非过度关注特定指标。 最具争议的新 Apple Watch 功能是“音频智能”（Audio Intelligence），包括 **Live Rewind** 和 **Siri Recap**。Live Rewind 允许用户双击表冠，获取过去 15 秒语音的转录文本，原始音频会立即删除，并有视觉/听觉提示表明正在录音。Siri Recap 是一项选择性加入的功能，提供对话的高级摘要，可按时间自定义，没有说话者归属，并会在七天后自动删除。V. Song 质疑 Live Rewind 的社交应用场景以及 Siri Recap 生成的通用摘要的实用性，同时承认其技术令人印象深刻。隐私问题日益突出，尤其是在“偷窥眼镜”（perv glasses）争议之后，尽管苹果发布了详细白皮书，概述其“安全飞地”（secure exclave）和隐私优先的方法。 播客随后转向了与 AI 研究员 CJ Trowbridge 的环节，他讨论了在 Mac 上运行**本地大语言模型（LLM）**。Trowbridge 挑战了 Nvidia GPU 更优的最初怀疑论，解释说苹果的 Mac Studio 和 Mac mini，特别是配备 M4 和 M6 芯片的型号，非常适合在本地运行*大型*模型，因为它们统一内存架构支持数百 GB 的 RAM。尽管高端 Nvidia 显卡对于 24GB 以下的模型可能更快，但 Mac 可以处理消费级 Nvidia 硬件无法容纳的明显更大的模型。他认为通过“菊花链”（daisy-chaining）连接 Mac 进行推理是不切实际的，因为网络限制。Trowbridge 强调了本地推理对个人的吸引力，因为“主权”（sovereignty）和与云服务相比的成本节约，甚至建议像 10 年前的 Xeon 这样的旧硬件仍然有效。 最后，“雷鸣快报”（Thunder Round）涵盖了几个快速话题： * **OpenAI 数学风波**：OpenAI 使用 10,000 个 AI 代理来“解决”了千禧年大奖的一个子问题，抢在了接近解决方案的人类数学家之前，引发了关于 AI 训练数据和研究合作的伦理问题。 * **特朗普手机涨价**：“特朗普手机”（Trump Phone）最初售价 $499，现已涨至 $750，尽管它是一款运行 Android 15 的过时设备，这暗示了持续的需求。 * **索尼 WH-1000XM4 重新发布**：索尼正以更低的价格重新发布其广受欢迎的 WH-1000XM4 降噪耳机，承认客户更喜欢旧型号而非新款 XM6。 * **《时之笛》重制版与 Hori 配件**：任天堂 Switch 平台上的《时之笛》（Ocarina of Time）重制版将允许玩家哼唱游戏中的旋律。Hori 正在发布一款价值 $50 的电子陶笛（Ocarina）配件，适用于那些喜欢以物理但数字化的方式演奏歌曲的玩家。

The latest episode of The Verge Cast delves into Apple's recent event, discussing new hardware, AI capabilities, and local LLM performance, before concluding with a "thunder round" of quick-fire tech news. The podcast opens with executive editor Jake Castronakis and Allison Johnson, who attended Apple's event in California. This event marked John Ternus's first appearance as Apple CEO, setting a new "vibe" for the company. Ternus emphasized Apple's "creative spirit" and the concept of devices as a "personal intelligent hub," reflecting on the privilege of leading Apple and its focus on user experience. Notably, the event's structure was unconventional, starting immediately with software features for the iPhone Pro and Apple Watches before detailing hardware, a shift from previous years. Regarding the new **iPhone Pro (iPhone 18 Pro)**, Allison notes that hardware changes were minimal, aside from the A20 Pro chip and a slightly larger battery for the Pro Max. The main focus was on advanced camera features: manual exposure controls and a variable aperture (F 1.48 to F 4). While these are genuinely powerful tools for professionals, Allison expresses skepticism about their daily utility for the average user, especially given potential noise issues with small sensors. The **iPhone Duo**, Apple's new foldable, was a major highlight. Priced from $1,999 to $3,199, it features a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display. Allison, having handled it, describes it as "really nice" with a "natural" feel, praising the matte inner display for reducing glare and the acceptable crease. While acknowledging its slightly heavier and thicker build compared to the Samsung Z Fold 8, she highlights the inclusion of MagSafe as a practical feature. The software experience, iOS, was praised for its polish, offering a "foldable on training wheels" approach with a maximum of two apps. Apple's emphasis on seamless continuity between folded and unfolded states, and extensive app optimizations, aims for a familiar, polished experience, contrasting with Android's more open but sometimes "wonky" multi-app environments. V. Song joins the discussion to cover the new **Apple Watches (Series 12 and Ultra 4)**. The focus was heavily on software, with improvements stemming from an upgraded sensor array designed for better skin contact and more accurate data collection. The new sensors enable more frequent heart rate measurements (every 5 seconds, a 60x increase) and the ability to measure heart rate variability (HRV) for a new "readiness" feature. While these features bring Apple Watch closer to competitors like Oura Ring and Whoop, V. Song expresses skepticism about the "health age" metric, advocating for common-sense health practices over hyper-focus on specific metrics. The most controversial new Apple Watch features are "Audio Intelligence," including **Live Rewind** and **Siri Recap**. Live Rewind allows users to press the crown twice to get a transcript of the last 15 seconds of speech, with the raw audio immediately deleted and visual/audio cues indicating recording. Siri Recap, an opt-in feature, provides high-level summaries of conversations, customizable by time, with no speaker attribution and auto-deletion after seven days. V. Song questions the social use cases for Live Rewind and the utility of generic summaries from Siri Recap, while acknowledging the technological impressiveness. Privacy concerns loom large, especially in the wake of "perv glasses" controversies, despite Apple's detailed white paper outlining its "secure exclave" and privacy-first approach. The podcast then shifts to a segment with AI researcher CJ Trowbridge, who discusses running **local LLMs on Macs**. Challenging the initial skepticism that Nvidia GPUs are superior, Trowbridge explains that Apple's Mac Studio and Mac mini, particularly with M4 and M6 chips, are uniquely suited for running *large* models locally due to their unified memory architecture supporting hundreds of gigabytes of RAM. While high-end Nvidia cards might be faster for models under 24GB, Macs can handle significantly larger models that wouldn't fit on consumer Nvidia hardware. He dismisses "daisy-chaining" Macs for inference as impractical due to network limitations. Trowbridge highlights the appeal of local inference for individuals due to "sovereignty" and cost savings compared to cloud services, even suggesting that old hardware like a 10-year-old Xeon can still be effective. Finally, the "Thunder Round" covers several quick topics: * **OpenAI Math Drama**: OpenAI used 10,000 AI agents to "solve" a sub-problem of the Millennium Prize, scooping a human mathematician who had been close to the solution and raising ethical questions about AI training data and research collaboration. * **Trump Phone Price Hike**: The "Trump Phone," initially $499, increased to $750 despite being an outdated device running Android 15, implying continued demand. * **Sony WH-1000XM4 Rerelease**: Sony is re-releasing its popular WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones at a lower price, acknowledging customer preference for the older model over the newer XM6. * **Ocarina of Time Remake & Hori Accessory**: Nintendo's Switch remake of Ocarina of Time will allow players to hum the in-game melodies. Hori is releasing a $50 electronic Ocarina accessory for those who prefer a physical, yet digital, way to play the songs.