We answer your questions about an iPod comeback, an E Ink iPhone Duo, and more

VergeCast 的最新一集由 David Amell 和 Travis Larchuk 主持，以“The Verge 90 秒”开场，播报科技新闻头条，随后进入听众问答环节。 新闻部分，日期为 2026 年 10 月 1 日星期四，重点介绍了多项产品更新和行业变化。Amazon 发布了新一代 Kindle，宣传其薄一毫米，打开书籍的速度快 30%。这些电子阅读器现在提供铝制外壳选项，签名版配备了与售价 80 美元的磁性保护套兼容的弹簧针，该保护套包含实体翻页按钮。还推出了 Alpine Sky 和 Ube 等新颜色选项。随后，纽约市新的“点击取消”规定生效，要求企业让订阅取消流程与注册一样简单明了。这项举措预计每年为纽约人节省 2150 万至 1.625 亿美元，并希望其他城市也能采用类似规定。最后，HP 发布了其 Omnibook 514，定位为 MacBook Neo 的竞争产品。这款笔记本电脑拥有 OLED 屏幕、多种有趣的颜色，起售价 700 美元，高配版可达 Intel Core 7 350 芯片组、16 GB 内存和 1 TB 存储空间。 在赞助商 Amazon Prime（推广 10 月 6 日和 7 日的“Prime Big Deal Days”）以及 IDERA by Palo Alto Networks（一个面向人类、机器和 AI 身份的身份平台）发言后，主持人转向了听众问答环节。 第一个问题涉及“数码相机趋势”，一位听众询问为什么智能手机公司不利用现成的智能手机组件来制造专用数码相机，主要只需采购专门的玻璃。David Amell 澄清说，ISP 代表的是 Image Signal Processor（图像信号处理器），而不是 internet service provider（互联网服务提供商）。他解释了制造相机玻璃的难度和专业性，暗示智能手机公司可能由于专用相机市场中新增的 SKU 和微薄的利润而犹豫不决。他指出，像 Samsung 和 Motorola（通过 Moto Mods）这样的公司曾尝试过类似的企业，但大都失败了。相反，他观察到许多中国公司正专注于智能手机的镜头附件，推动了该领域的实验前沿。Travis Larchuk 补充说，也许公司可以重新发布旧款手机型号，作为专用数码相机。 接下来，Austin 打来电话，表达了对新款 iPod 的渴望，特别是经典外形，且兼容 Apple Music。他甚至思索着增加摄像头、地图、短信和通话功能，本质上是设想一个“手机伴侣”。主持人打趣地指出 Austin 描述的是一部智能手机。David Amell 质疑对 iPod 或“傻瓜手机”等“有形技术”重新燃起的兴趣是持久的趋势还是昙花一现，他以胶卷需求波动为例。他表示，公司可能会等待看到持续的兴趣后，才会投资新的专用设备。Travis Larchuk 分享了她男朋友 iPod 坏了的个人轶事，强调了智能手机的便利性。她怀疑 Apple 是否会看到足够大的市场来证明推出专用设备是合理的，并指出过去为周末推出的“傻瓜手机”尝试普遍失败了。 Eli Johnson 随后提出了一个发人深省的问题，关于互联网的未来，他担心 AI 驱动的黑客攻击和 AI 编写代码的泛滥可能会侵蚀信任，使云服务和在线平台变得不可靠。David Amell 将其与互联网早期以及 HTTPS 对于信任的必要性进行了类比。他承认黑客攻击增加的可能性，并引用了最近 AI 代理攻陷政府网站的案例以及 AI 公司在数据安全方面的努力（如 Mythos）。他预测黑客和网络安全之间将是一场“猫捉老鼠”的游戏，但他最终相信，公司维护用户信任的强烈动机将阻止可靠性的完全崩溃。Travis Larchuk 分享了她最近亲身经历的 AI 冒充事件，包括她的声音被伪造以及针对同事和 NPR 听众的网络钓鱼尝试，突出了对诈骗的担忧以及个人，尤其是老年人，迫切需要提高互联网素养。 最后，Ken 打来电话，就之前的一期播客节目进行辩论，他认为 TI-83 图形计算器应该在“名人堂”中占有一席之地，并分享了它是如何激励他成为一名软件工程师的。Travis Larchuk 曾协助制定名人堂评选标准，她解释说，设备通常需要“非常优秀或非常糟糕”。TI-83 虽然具有标志性，但按照这些规则，它并未被认为是*非常*优秀。David Amell 反驳说，它的标志性地位和游戏功能使其表现出色。Travis 承认，目前正在讨论重新评估过去的决定，并可能为未来的季度放宽标准，她强调，此类辩论是任何名人堂的“游戏一部分”。她幽默地总结道，TI-83 仍然不应该入选，这引得 David 表示不同意。

The latest episode of VergeCast, hosted by David Amell and Travis Larchuk, kicked off with "90 Seconds on The Verge," delivering tech news headlines before diving into listener questions. The news segment, dated Thursday, October 1st, 2026, highlighted several product updates and industry changes. Amazon launched a new generation of Kindles, touting them as a millimeter thinner and 30% faster at opening books. These e-readers now offer an aluminum casing option, and signature editions feature pogo pins compatible with an $80 magnetic case that includes physical page-turn buttons. New color options like Alpine Sky and Ube were also introduced. Following this, New York City's new "click to cancel" rule took effect, mandating that businesses make subscription cancellation as straightforward as signing up. This initiative is projected to save New Yorkers between $21.5 million and $162.5 million annually, with hopes that other cities will adopt similar regulations. Lastly, HP unveiled its Omnibook 514, positioned as a competitor to the MacBook Neo. This laptop boasts an OLED screen, various fun colors, and starts at $700, with configurations going up to an Intel Core 7 350 chipset, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a terabyte of storage. After a word from sponsors Amazon Prime (promoting "Prime Big Deal Days" on October 6th and 7th) and IDERA by Palo Alto Networks (an identity platform for human, machine, and AI identities), the hosts moved on to listener questions. The first query addressed the "Digicam trend," with a caller asking why smartphone companies don't repurpose off-the-shelf smartphone components to create dedicated digital cameras, primarily needing to source specialized glass. David Amell clarified that ISP stands for Image Signal Processor, not internet service provider. He explained the difficulty and specialized nature of manufacturing camera glass, suggesting smartphone companies might be hesitant due to the added SKU and thin margins in the dedicated camera market. He noted that companies like Samsung and Motorola (with Moto Mods) have attempted similar ventures, but largely failed. Instead, he observed that many Chinese companies are focusing on lens attachments for smartphones, pushing the experimental frontier there. Travis Larchuk added that perhaps companies could re-release older phone models as dedicated digicams. Next, Austin called in, expressing a desire for a new iPod, specifically the classic form factor, compatible with Apple Music. He even mused about adding a camera, maps, texting, and calls, essentially envisioning a "companion to your phone." The hosts playfully pointed out that Austin was describing a smartphone. David Amell questioned whether the resurging interest in "tangible technology" like iPods or dumb phones is a lasting trend or a fad, citing the fluctuating demand for film as an example. He suggested companies would likely wait to see sustained interest before investing in new dedicated devices. Travis Larchuk shared a personal anecdote about her boyfriend's broken iPod, underscoring the convenience factor of smartphones. She doubted Apple would see a large enough market to justify a dedicated device, noting that past attempts at "dumb phones" for weekends had generally failed. Eli Johnson then posed a thought-provoking question about the future of the internet, fearing that AI-powered hacking and proliferation of AI-written code could erode trust, making cloud services and online platforms unreliable. David Amell drew parallels to the internet's early days and the necessity of HTTPS for trust. He acknowledged the potential for increased hacks, citing recent instances of AI agents compromising government websites and AI companies' efforts in data security (like Mythos). While he predicted a "cat and mouse" game between hackers and cybersecurity, he ultimately believed that companies' strong incentive to maintain user trust would prevent a complete breakdown of reliability. Travis Larchuk shared recent personal experiences with AI impersonation, including her own voice being faked and phishing attempts targeting colleagues and NPR listeners, highlighting concerns about scams and the urgent need for enhanced internet literacy for individuals, especially older generations. Finally, Ken called in to litigate a previous podcast episode, arguing that the TI-83 graphing calculator deserves a spot in the "hall of fame," sharing how it inspired his career as a software engineer. Travis Larchuk, who helped develop the hall of fame criteria, explained that devices typically needed to be "remarkably good or remarkably bad." The TI-83, while iconic, wasn't deemed *remarkably* good under those rules. David Amell countered, arguing its iconic status and game-playing capability made it good. Travis admitted there's ongoing discussion about re-evaluating past decisions and potentially loosening criteria for future seasons, emphasizing that such debates are "part of the game" for any hall of fame. She concluded, humorously, that the TI-83 still shouldn't be in, prompting David to disagree.