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YouTube Views Feel Fake Now

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

Hosted by Andrew Manganelli and David Imel

1h 20m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode explores major tech leaks, upcoming product cycles, and controversial changes to digital media metrics. The hosts discuss YouTube's controversial decision to alter view counts by counting any played frame of video as a view, raising concerns about inflated metrics and creator monetization requirements. The conversation then shifts to a massive Apple system leak found within release candidate code, revealing unreleased devices including AirPods equipped with visual intelligence sensors, new Home Hub displays, and potential schedule changes for the standard iPhone lineup. Finally, the team covers quirky hardware releases like Supreme-branded tech products and open-source input devices from Ploopy.

  • YouTube now counts any single played frame as a public view, aligning with other platforms but complicating creator metrics and brand deals. 14:26
  • Apple release candidate files leaked references to unreleased hardware like AirPods with visual intelligence cameras and new Home Hub displays. 34:54
  • Apple suppliers indicate that standard iPhone models might launch in the spring rather than alongside the Pro models in September. 47:11
  • Open-source peripheral maker Ploopy released the A+, a custom trackball with extra scroll knobs and QMK and VIA programming support. 59:26

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Podcast Intro and AI Sponsorship

    Hosts introduce the show, sponsors, and set the tone for the episode.

  2. 1:18
    Hosts Introduce Each Other and Current Location

    The trio introduce themselves, mention Marquez’s Irish trip, and tease upcoming stories.

  3. 2:09
    Eclipse Episode Recap and Promotion

    They recap their recent eclipse episode, encouraging listeners to watch and subscribe.

  4. 11:58
    Open‑Source Trackball Innovation

    Deep dive into the community‑driven, open‑source trackball A+ and its customizability.

  5. 13:59
    YouTube View Count Change Explained

    Discussion of YouTube’s new view‑count policy, its impact on creators, and potential brand‑deal consequences.

  6. 46:32
    Apple Event Schedule Shift

    Discussion of Apple’s new spread-out event calendar and its impact on product launches.

  7. 47:44
    Strategic Release Timing for Pro vs Standard

    Exploration of why Apple might delay the standard model to boost early sales of Pro variants.

  8. 58:46
    Trivia & Audience Interaction

    Hosts play trivia questions, answer challenges, and engage listeners with light‑hearted banter.

  9. 1:08:06
    Bitfocus Companion & Stream Deck Hacks

    Demonstration of using Bitfocus Companion to emulate a massive Stream Deck on a tablet for workflow automation.

  10. 1:10:21
    Apple Air and Foldable Speculations

    Talk about the rumored iPhone Air 2, foldable, and other Apple hardware releases for the year.

Highlights

Quotes

  • “We got AirPods with the camera have officially leaked.”
    David Imel · 1:46
  • “YouTube has once again changed how views work, uh, which is, I think, a bad move.”
    David Imel · 13:59
  • “AirPods with cameras, new Beats headphones, AirPods Pro 4, which, it's interesting that they're being listed separately from these.”
    David Imel · 45:13
  • “The best way to integrate new technology into people's lives is to put it in existing things that they use every day.”
    David Imel · 38:43
  • “Because they've been launching like, the E gets launched later, right?”
    David Imel · 47:50
  • “The standard additions of all of these phones are getting better and better and better, to the point where why should you get the Pro is becoming a very common question.”
    David Imel · 48:07
  • Google Gemini 0:00–0:30
  • Anthropic 0:45–0:57
  • Home Depot 33:39–33:56
  • SAP Concur 34:08–34:32

About this episode

This week, Andrew and David take over the podcast while Marques is out for Ultimate Frisbee. First, it's all about the new Instagram logo before they get into the news that YouTube is changing what counts as a view. Then it's all about the newest AirPods with cameras leak and a new open-source trackball that Andrew and Ellis are excited about. Enjoy! Links: YouTube changing how views count MacRumors - Apple AirPods leak Bloopy - New A+ trackball This episode brought to you by: Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/waveform Follow us on socials: Marques: https://www.threads.net/@mkbhd Andrew: https://www.threads.net/@andrew_manganelli David: https://www.threads.net/@davidimel Adam: https://www.threads.net/@parmesanpapi17 Ellis: https://twitter.com/EllisRovin Waveform Threads: https://www.threads.net/@waveformpodcast Waveform Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waveformpodcast/?hl=en Waveform TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@waveformpodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/mkbhd Intro/Outro music by 20syl: https://bit.ly/2S53xlC Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
1:20:11

15,208 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Apple
  • AirPods
  • Google
  • iPad
  • College Humor
  • Stream Deck
  • Pro Tools
  • Vimeo
  • iPhone 18
  • Dropout

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated