The WAN Show - iPHONES ARE EXPLODING!! - December 16, 2016

The WAN Show episode from December 16, 2016 dives into a broad mix of topics that sit at the intersection of consumer tech, PC hardware, and online media culture, all hosted from Linus Tech Tips’ WAN Show set. The first portion centers on AMD Ryzen, with Linus critiquing the naming choice and detailing eight cores plus 16 threads, a turbo capable, power-aware design, and the platform’s move to DDR4 and PCI Express 3.0. He explains the Am4 foundation and compares Ryzen’s potential to Broadwell in terms of performance per clock, emphasizing the importance of pricing and cooling in achieving a compelling product. The discussion then pivots to Apple hardware, focusing on the iPhone 6s battery explosions and Apple’s response, including a forthcoming iOS update to enhance battery diagnostics and safety monitoring during manufacturing. Throughout, Linus interleaves commentary on Thunderbolt 3 and its impact on laptops like the MacBook Pro, criticizing Apple for what he perceives as selective support and inconsistent device compatibility, which leads into a broader debate about USB-C, external GPUs, and future gaming on laptops. The show continues with a deep dive into media integrity, as Facebook announces collaboration with independent fact-checkers to curb fake news, implement warning banners, and create dashboards for disputed stories, alongside discussion about the social and political implications of such tools. In a lighter, more chaotic twist, Linus and Luke riff on topics like nerd sports, League of Legends, and the Float Plane Club, before returning to hardware with a showcase of Western Digital’s new 12 TB and 14 TB helium drives and the exponential growth in on-site storage density. The Amazon Prime Air delivery news is covered with a brief, illustrative two-minute clip, followed by coverage of Twitch AutoMod and other streaming platform improvements that impact content creators and the wider viewer community. The show also touches on general PC upgrade culture, including a teaser about a new WOW PC build and a promise to document improvements with Focusrite gear, capture cards, and upgraded lighting. Sponsorship segments from Squarespace and iFixit anchor the middle of the broadcast, with Linus humorously weighing the practicality of one-page websites and affordable repair tools, and a playful bit on the iFixit essential electronics toolkit. The program closes with a reflective note on the evolving relationship between tech media and its audience, including community feedback, forum activity, and ongoing projects like making LTT content and streaming more accessible. The combination of tech analysis, industry anecdotes, and lighthearted banter makes this WAN Show a snapshot of mid-2010s tech discourse, illustrating how audience interaction shapes coverage and tone as new hardware and platforms emerge. Overall, the episode underscores how a single show can oscillate between deep hardware discussions, social implications of online media, and community-driven content creation, all while keeping a humorous and informal cadence that characterizes Linus Tech Tips.

Topics · technology · consumer_electronics · gaming · media_and_entertainment