The WAN Show - WAN from Japan! Intel Skylake & Apple Watch Reviews - April 10, 2015

The WAN Show episode from Japan begins with a candid, tired intro as the hosts Linus and Luke explain they are recording from the hotel lobby in Japan. They describe the amazing hotel setting, the koi ponds, cliffside foliage, and the feeling of jet lag while trying to settle into a format for the show. The hosts admit they have limited energy after travel, with improvised banter about sleeping, meals, and the chaotic start to the episode. They roll the intro and acknowledge a loose script that has to be adjusted in real time due to travel fatigue and a sometimes unreliable live setup. The dialogue then shifts toward catching up on the week’s topics, including Omron and RoR G switch production at the factory they visited in Japan, and the collaboration with Logitech on RoR G switches for the G910 keyboard. The team shares impressions from the Omron factory tour, noting differences between Japanese and German production approaches and the scale of RoR G switch manufacturing. They emphasize that the focus of this trip was to review the Omron and RoR G components as part of Logitech’s gaming hardware ecosystem, with plans to present more detail in the forthcoming video. The conversation moves to the Apple Watch reviews, summarizing the general consensus that first-generation devices carry early-adopter caveats but remain an important starting point for wearable tech. Linus voices his intent to try an Apple Watch himself, while also criticizing wrist-screen activation mechanics and battery life as ongoing concerns. He cautions viewers not to buy into the first-gen hype without understanding the limitations that come with new wearable technology, and he critiques the media’s tendency to praise fashionable devices despite practical drawbacks. The discussion broadens to acknowledge positive aspects of the Apple Watch, including build quality and wearer attention, while contrasting experiences with competing smartwatches and Android Wear. The hosts then pivot to the new MacBook, arguing that while reviews are generally positive, the device’s port selection and overall value require careful consideration, drawing comparisons to the original MacBook Air and other ultrabooks. They debate whether a lack of ports should be considered a fatal flaw or a reasonable trade-off for portability, and they question the long-term value of early adopter technology in the context of price and performance. The Netflix VPN ban topic is introduced, explaining that updated terms allow Netflix to restrict usage by region and protect licensing deals. The conversation frames digital distribution as a global, borderless model that could eventually consolidate content ownership and distribution under fewer middlemen, while recognizing regulatory and licensing realities that currently justify regional access controls. A prolonged tangent follows about the potential future of streaming services and the possibility of a multi-service ecosystem like Netflix, Hulu, and others, each providing content under different models, rather than a single global service. The hosts share travel anecdotes from the trip, including a dinner hosted by Omron with eleven courses prepared by a dedicated chef, and a playful, sometimes gross, discussion of raw chicken and various exotic foods that accompanied the meal. They reminisce about the interaction with servers and the theatrical presentation of the dishes, highlighting a memorable moment when Linus and Edzel sample unusual items and debate the safety and taste of raw preparations. The conversation turns to hardware rumors, including an unverified claim about an 8K iMac, with skepticism about the feasibility and marginal gains beyond current 5K displays. They discuss how Apple might price and pair high-end GPUs with future high-resolution screens, offering varied opinions on the practicality and value of such upgrades. The show wraps with a sponsor segment for Linda.com, Squarespace, and FreshBooks, where each host riffs on the benefits of the services and playfully teases potential future promotions, even joking about crowd-sourced offer codes. The hosts tease a late-night energy crash as they rush through final topics, noting Skylake launch confirmation from Intel for the second half of 2015, while emphasizing that Skylake will be an incremental improvement rather than a dramatic leap, with mainstream use still relying on DDR3L and existing PCIe lanes. The episode closes with a nod to the Large Hadron Collider restart update, then a rapid wrap-up that recaps the key takeaways and hints at future WAN Show coverage of Skylake architectures and related hardware advances. The overall tone blends tech analysis with informal banter, travel stories, and a running thread of skepticism about new-gen devices, balanced by genuine curiosity about how these technologies fit into everyday usage and long-term value.

Topics · technology · consumer_electronics · hardware_reviews · travel_events