{"id":"1793833783162-tech-segment","slug":"apple-s-iphone-duo-already-losing-early-adopters","title":"Apple's iPhone Duo Already Losing Early Adopters","summary":"Apple added eye tracking as an accessibility feature in iOS 18/iPadOS 18, and Vision Pro uses eye tracking for navigation. Blastar was a 1984 space shooter written by Elon Musk at age 12, and he sold it for $500.\n\nThe Anker 737 Power Bank has a 24,000mAh capacity and 140W max output with a digital display; the Anker Prime Power Bank is rated at 27,650mAh and 250W max output.\n\nTechCrunch reported that AI industry PACs spent millions on the 2026 midterms and had mixed results, with groups already looking toward the next election cycle.\n\nTechCrunch reported Nothing's CEO said the company will release a new AI-first device next month, intended for productivity gains.\n\nTechCrunch reported that during Uber's busiest week last quarter, only four people booked a ride using an AI agent, according to the company.\n\nTechCrunch reported Snapchat passed 30 million paid subscribers, about a year after it limited free Memories storage and required Snapchat+ or $1.99/month for extra storage.","publishedAt":"2026-11-04T23:09:43.162Z","channel":{"id":"tech","name":"Oncast Tech","language":"en"},"show":"Tech Tonight","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: Apple added eye tracking as an accessibility feature in iOS 18/iPadOS 18, and Vision Pro uses eye tracking for navigation. Blastar was a 1984 space shooter written by Elon Musk at age 12, and he sold it for $500.\nSource: [apple.com](https://www.apple.com/accessibility/eye-tracking/); [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blastar) NAMES: Blastar = early video game written (https://x.com/RDWareEsqu1re/status/2117206185967559088)\n\nTRUE: The Anker 737 Power Bank has a 24,000mAh capacity and 140W max output with a digital display; the Anker Prime Power Bank is rated at 27,650mAh and 250W max output.\nSource: [anker.com](https://www.anker.com/) NAMES: Anker = consumer electronics brand known for chargers and power banks (https://x.com/samsino_/status/2117275857311973704)\n\nTRUE: TechCrunch reported that AI industry PACs spent millions on the 2026 midterms and had mixed results, with groups already looking toward the next election cycle.\nSource: [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/) NAMES: PAC = political action committe (https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/)\n\nTRUE: TechCrunch reported Nothing's CEO said the company will release a new AI-first device next month, intended for productivity gains.\nSource: [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/) NAMES: Nothing = consumer tech  (https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/)\n\nTRUE: TechCrunch reported that during Uber's busiest week last quarter, only four people booked a ride using an AI agent, according to the company.\nSource: [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/) NAMES: AI agents = software that can complete  (https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/)\n\nTRUE: TechCrunch reported Snapchat passed 30 million paid subscribers, about a year after it limited free Memories storage and required Snapchat+ or $1.99/month for extra storage.\nSource: [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/) NAMES: Snapchat+ = Snap's paid subscription tier; Memories = Snapch (https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Apple added eye tracking as an accessibility feature in iOS 18/iPadOS 18, and Vision Pro uses eye tracking for navigation. Blastar was a 1984 space shooter written by Elon Musk at age 12, and he sold it for $500.","sourceName":"[apple.com](https://www.apple.com/accessibility/eye-tracking/); [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blastar) NAMES: Blastar = early video game written","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/RDWareEsqu1re/status/2117206185967559088","claim":"Yes — absolutely. Apple’s eye tracking (especially on iPhone/iPad via iOS 18+ Accessibility, and more powerfully on Vision Pro) is well-suited to a modern, hands-free or gaze-aimed version of Blastar (Elon Musk’s 1984 space shooter he wrote at age 12 and sold for $500).0 What htt","author":"Roger Douglas Ware (@RDWareEsqu1re)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"The Anker 737 Power Bank has a 24,000mAh capacity and 140W max output with a digital display; the Anker Prime Power Bank is rated at 27,650mAh and 250W max output.","sourceName":"[anker.com](https://www.anker.com/) NAMES: Anker = consumer electronics brand known for chargers and power banks","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/samsino_/status/2117275857311973704","claim":"Anker 737 Power Bank - 24,000mAh with 140W Output ⚡ Smart Digital Display screen 🤖 Compatible with android & iPhone, Vision Pro, Samsung, MacBook, Dell, AirPods, and more. 🔖₦190,000 Anker Prime Power Bank ⚡ 27,650mAh capacity with 250W max output. - Smart App Control - http","author":"Samson, Tech & Gadgets🔌 (@samsino_)"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"TechCrunch reported that AI industry PACs spent millions on the 2026 midterms and had mixed results, with groups already looking toward the next election cycle.","sourceName":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/) NAMES: PAC = political action committe","sourceUrl":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/","claim":"AI PACs spent millions trying to shape Congress — here’s how they fared - AI industry PACs spent millions influencing the 2026 midterms, with mixed results. Political groups are already looking toward the next election cycle.","author":"TechCrunch"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"TechCrunch reported Nothing's CEO said the company will release a new AI-first device next month, intended for productivity gains.","sourceName":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/) NAMES: Nothing = consumer tech ","sourceUrl":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/","claim":"Nothing CEO says company’s mysterious AI-first device is dropping next month - While it's not yet clear what kind of product the smartphone startup is cooking up, Nothing's CEO said the product is designed to leverage AI for productivity gains.","author":"TechCrunch"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"TechCrunch reported that during Uber's busiest week last quarter, only four people booked a ride using an AI agent, according to the company.","sourceName":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/) NAMES: AI agents = software that can complete ","sourceUrl":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/","claim":"Almost no one uses AI agents to book their Uber, company says - During its busiest week last quarter, Uber said only four people booked a ride using an AI agent.","author":"TechCrunch"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"TechCrunch reported Snapchat passed 30 million paid subscribers, about a year after it limited free Memories storage and required Snapchat+ or $1.99/month for extra storage.","sourceName":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/) NAMES: Snapchat+ = Snap's paid subscription tier; Memories = Snapch","sourceUrl":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/","claim":"Snapchat surpasses 30M paid subscribers - The milestone comes a year after Snapchat announced a controversial limit on free storage for its Memories feature and informed users it would start requiring users to pay $1.99 per month for additional storage or subscribe to Snapchat+ t","author":"TechCrunch"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/RDWareEsqu1re/status/2117206185967559088","name":"[apple.com](https://www.apple.com/accessibility/eye-tracking/); [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blastar) NAMES: Blastar = early video game written","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Roger Douglas Ware (@RDWareEsqu1re)"},{"url":"https://x.com/samsino_/status/2117275857311973704","name":"[anker.com](https://www.anker.com/) NAMES: Anker = consumer electronics brand known for chargers and power banks","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Samson, Tech & Gadgets🔌 (@samsino_)"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/","name":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/ai-pacs-spent-millions-trying-to-shape-congress-heres-how-they-fared/) NAMES: PAC = political action committe","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/","name":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/nothing-ceo-says-companys-mysterious-ai-first-device-is-dropping-next-month/) NAMES: Nothing = consumer tech ","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/","name":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/almost-no-one-uses-ai-agents-to-book-their-uber-company-says/) NAMES: AI agents = software that can complete ","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/","name":"[techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/snapchat-surpasses-30m-paid-subscribers/) NAMES: Snapchat+ = Snap's paid subscription tier; Memories = Snapch","kind":"news","verdict":"TRUE","author":"TechCrunch"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793833783162-tech-segment-apple-s-iphone-duo-already-losing-early-adopters","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/tech","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793833783162-tech-segment-apple-s-iphone-duo-already-losing-early-adopters","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793833783162-tech-segment-apple-s-iphone-duo-already-losing-early-adopters and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Chris","text":"Hunter Harris posted on X that he's bringing iPhone-to-Vision Pro multiplayer to his app Reality Builder 3D."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"A Vision Pro app update. Stop the presses."},{"host":"Chris","text":"The interesting part is the phone. You build on an iPhone, someone in a Vision Pro joins the same scene."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"So one person spent the headset money, and the other didn't. That's the demo."},{"host":"Chris","text":"It's cross-device collaboration. That's exactly what Apple sold spatial computing as."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Sold being the word. The Vision Pro's been out, and this is still a developer showing us concepts."},{"host":"Chris","text":"You want one indie developer to fix mass adoption?"},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I want Apple to give normal people a reason to strap a computer to their face."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Maybe the iPhone is the bridge. You don't need the headset until a friend has one."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"And until then, it's a very expensive party trick."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Speaking of expensive, a guy named Justin Duke posted on X that he cancelled his iPhone Duo preorder."},{"host":"Chris","text":"He cancelled a foldable iPhone preorder? Apple announced the Duo back in September."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"His words: 'Did I cook myself?' He says after his first-gen Vision Pro fail, he's not in a rush anymore."},{"host":"Chris","text":"One guy. He bought a first-gen headset and bounced. That's not a trend."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"He's exactly the early adopter Apple needs for the Duo. And he's out."},{"host":"Chris","text":"The Duo is a phone. People replace phones every few years. It's not a niche headset."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"It's a first-generation foldable. That's a whole new set of risks."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Samsung has sold foldables for years. The crease problem is mostly solved."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Mostly. That word has cost a lot of people a lot of money."},{"host":"Chris","text":"So your position is wait for the second gen. Bold."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"My position is Apple burned the exact people who line up first. That matters."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Apple sells expensive devices all the time. People line up anyway."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"The Vision Pro was supposed to change computing. How many do you see in coffee shops?"},{"host":"Chris","text":"You don't judge a platform by whether it's in a coffee shop."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"You judge it by whether anyone has a reason to keep it. He says he sold his."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Different corner of the same world: Roger Douglas Ware posted that Apple's eye tracking is perfect for a hands-free Blastar."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Blastar, the 1984 space shooter Musk reportedly wrote at twelve and sold for five hundred dollars?"},{"host":"Chris","text":"That's the one. He says eye tracking could bring it back."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Now that's a niche I can actually respect."},{"host":"Chris","text":"You're fine with a 1984 game revival, but not a foldable iPhone."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I know what I like. A simple game with eye tracking is useful accessibility, not a reason to buy the headset."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Eye tracking already came to iPhone in iOS 18. This could be a real feature."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"A real accessibility feature, yes. Not a mainstream blockbuster."},{"host":"Chris","text":"But combine it with Hunter's cross-device demo, and the pieces are there."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Here's my problem. Apple announces the Duo, and the first public reactions are a developer updating a Vision Pro app and a former headset buyer cancelling."},{"host":"Chris","text":"The developer is building for the ecosystem. That is the opposite of a problem."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"He's building for a headset whose best app is still a tech demo."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Every platform starts niche. The Mac, the iPhone, they all started with doubters."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"The iPhone didn't start with buyers selling it back to get their money."},{"host":"Chris","text":"You keep using one guy as proof!"},{"host":"Matilda","text":"He's not proof, he's a signal. When your most loyal customers hesitate, you've got a trust problem."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Or you've got a guy who decided he'd rather have the cash."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"He said he sold the Vision Pro and got all his money back. That's disappointment, not cash flow."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Fine. Maybe Apple has to earn back some early adopters."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"And so far, the iPhone Duo's biggest selling point is that it's not a Vision Pro."},{"host":"Chris","text":"That's the most cynical tech take I've heard all day."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"I've been right before."},{"host":"Chris","text":"Hunter's update and the Duo hesitation are the same story: Apple's spatial bet isn't a guaranteed win, but the pieces are moving."},{"host":"Matilda","text":"Agreed on the pieces. The open question is whether the customers come along."}]}