The delightfully messy state of Apple gadgets
Apple is experimenting with new gadget ideas, including adding more screens to the iPhone, a touchscreen to the MacBook and CarPlay apps to HomeView. The article describes this as a notable return to product experimentation by a company known for successful devices, even though some changes may be imperfect.
The Vergecast hosts debate whether a touchscreen laptop is useful, discuss a new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and consider whether it could have been an iPad. They also cover Instagram’s move into long-form content and its challenges around AI, alongside news about Anthropic’s IPO and Anduril’s laptops.
In short
- Apple is trying new ideas across its gadgets.
- The hosts debate whether a touchscreen MacBook makes sense.
- Instagram’s long-form plans and AI challenges are also discussed.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Apple’s willingness to try extra screens, touchscreen laptops and broader CarPlay features could make its devices more useful and responsive to how people work and travel. Experimentation also gives the company room to learn from imperfect ideas, rather than relying indefinitely on familiar products.
The case against
Adding screens and touch controls can make devices more complicated without improving the tasks they already handle well. A touchscreen MacBook, for example, may blur the distinction between a laptop and an iPad, while spreading attention across new features could distract from making core products simpler and more polished.
Explained simply
Apple is a technology company best known for products such as the iPhone, Mac and iPad. These devices have often been designed around distinct roles: phones for use on the move, laptops for work and tablets for touch-based tasks.
The latest ideas described include changes that blur those boundaries, such as adding touch controls to a MacBook or extra screens to an iPhone. They raise questions about how people use each device and whether combining features makes products more useful or more complicated.
Apple’s choices matter because its products are widely used and can influence what other technology companies make. The discussion also touches on Instagram, an image and video sharing service, and on technology firms Anthropic and Anduril, whose work includes artificial intelligence and defence technology respectively.
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