Episode 218: Dial‑Up Farewells, Chip Tax Turbulence, Cybertruck Explosions, and a MacBook Whisper

Jay and Karl dive into the week’s most surprising, strange, and speculative tech headlines — from AOL finally ending dial‑up to the USAF eyeing Cybertruck blast tests, with a spicy chip‑tax twist and a very interesting MacBook rumour along the way.

Full show notes & links: techrant.online/weekly-tech-rant-episode-218/

Also available on:Apple Podcasts |YouTube

In This Episode

News

• AOL finally shuts down dial‑up — yes, it was still running in 2025.
• “Wild” chip‑tax idea — 15% levy on US firms’ China chip sales.
• Intel CEO pushback — turns the proposal around, but his role remains uncertain.
• Early iPhone 17 Pro clone — iOS 18 lookalike surfaces a month ahead of schedule.
• USAF vs Cybertruck — planned blast tests citing potential enemy use.
• Battlefield 6 pricing — not $80 at launch, but future flexibility hinted.

Rumours

• 12.9‑inch MacBook — could be the sleeper hit of the year.

Say hello — @WeeklyTechRant |@weeklytechrant.bs

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• • News
  • • Birthright citizenship ruling now part of Apple’s appeal argument against Epic Games
    • China claims Nvidia built backdoor into H20 chip designed for Chinese market
    • TSMC says employees tried to steal trade secrets on iPhone 18 chip process
    • JPMorgan doubles down on iPhone Fold predicted release date, pricing, more
  • Rumours
  • • Apple Glasses rumors signal that Apple thinks Mark Zuckerberg is right
    • Vision Pro 2 is coming soon, with three new upgrades expected
    • AMD's rumoured to be plotting a new ultra high-end gaming GPU

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• • News
  • • NVIDIA's leaked N1x chip for ARM laptops has as many CUDA cores as an RTX 5070 — but don't expect the same performance
    • Anthropic is rate limiting Claude Code, blaming some users for never turning it off
    • Sony calls Tencent game ‘slavish clone’ of Horizon in new lawsuit
    • Trump, who promised to save TikTok, threatens to shut down TikTok
  • Games
  • • Cleared Hot
    • Gray Zone Warfare
    • Robocop Rogue City: Unfinished Business
    • Battlefield 6

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• • News
  • • Apple sues Jon Prosser for his iOS 26 YouTube leaks, Prosser responds
    • Meta refuses to sign EU’s AI code of practice
    • British government set to back down on secret iCloud backdoor after US pressure
    • Apple and Google singled out under new UK Digital Markets regulation
    • Microsoft backs away from $80 games, drops The Outer Worlds 2 price to $70 'in line with current market conditions'

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• News
• • Apple announces sweeping App Store changes in the EU
  • Apple might ditch internal AI efforts for Siri revamp, use OpenAI or Anthropic instead
  • Trump says he’s found a buyer for TikTok
  • There's still no sign of Star Citizen 1.0, but it did just get a revamped referral program so the die-hards can tempt in even more saps
• Rumours
• • Kuo: Apple to release cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone processor
  • Specs rumours for the Super versions of Nvidia's RTX 5070
  • Apple Vision Air Coming In 2027

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• • • A Duke Nukem TV series may be coming from the producer of the Devil May Cry and Castlevania animated shows on Netflix
    • Report: Apple held internal talks about acquiring AI search startup Perplexity
    • Apple fires back at court’s ‘punitive’ App Store order in Epic Games case
    • War Thunder player once again leaks classified military documents to win an argument
    • Microsoft makes Windows 10 security updates FREE for an extra year — but there's a catch, and you might not like it
    • The Trump Phone no longer promises it’s made in America
  • Rumours
  • • AirPods Max 2: Here’s what rumors say is coming next
    • New iPhone Fold leak details display size, cameras, and more

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky

Welcome to the WTR with your hosts, Jay and Karl, delving into the latest tech news, gadgets, games, and films!

Available On: • Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Youtube | All Major Platforms

In This Episode:

• • News
  • • '700 Indian engineers posed as AI': The London startup that took Microsoft for a ride
    • Meta wants to give evidence for Apple in UK privacy battle
    • Microsoft and Asus announce two Xbox Ally handhelds with new Xbox full-screen experience
    • Trump Mobile launches $47 service and a gold phone

We love hearing from you! Drop us a line in the comments or tweet us at @WeeklyTechRant or @weeklytechrant.bs on Bluesky