Top Five Tech

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By: Stephen Robles

Get my top five picks of the week with something to watch, listen, read, download, and a deep thought all about tech! Delivered every Friday, by Stephen Robles.

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Best Look at iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Camera Breakdown, Apple Watch Audio Intelligence
Best Look at iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Camera Breakdown, Apple Watch Audio Intelligence episode artwork
#22
Today at 11:00 AM

A hands-on look at the new iPhone Duo, a photographer's take on iPhone 18 Pro camera, Tim Cook's perfect handoff moment, free iPhone Duo wallpapers, and what it means that your Apple Watch is now always listening.

Get the NewsletteriPhone Duo - Hands-On — SuperSafiPhone 18 Pro & Duo: A Photographer's Reaction — Tyler StalmaniPhone Duo Episode - Primary Technology (01:09)Tim Cook's Brief Appearance at the iPhone Duo Event Was Apple Stagecraft at Its Best — Inc. (01:46)iPhone Duo Wallpaper — Basic Apple GuyAbout Audio Intelligence features on Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 — Apple Support


AI Slop is Killing Educational Videos, Designed in California, Upcoming Movie Shortcut
AI Slop is Killing Educational Videos, Designed in California, Upcoming Movie Shortcut episode artwork
#21
09/04/2026

A 30-minute investigation into how AI slop is killing educational YouTube, the Designed in California podcast from Myke Hurley and Jason Snell, Governor Kathy Hochul on Decoder, my own App Store featured spotlight, and a Shortcut that drops upcoming movies straight into your task manager.

Get the NewsletterThe Death of Educational Content on YouTubeThe Origin of Apple — Designed in California (00:48)New York Governor Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be 'less evil' — Decoder with Nilay Patel (01:29)Stephen Robles' Productivity Picks — App Store (02:03)Christina Warren's Productivity Picks — App StoreJason Snell's Productivity Picks — App StoreQuinn Nelson's Productivity Picks — App StoreUpcoming Popular Movies to Ka...


MKBHD Says Yes to Every Email, GoldenEye on iPhone, Cancer Vaccine
MKBHD Says Yes to Every Email, GoldenEye on iPhone, Cancer Vaccine episode artwork
#20
08/28/2026

MKBHD says yes to every wild gadget email again, Robert Downey Jr. and Joe Russo look back at Infinity War and the MCU, Bill Gates on our turbulent AI era, GoldenEye 007 running natively on iPhone, Super Mario 64 on  Vision Pro, and we may have a cancer vaccine.

Get the NewsletterMKBHD Said Yes to Every Email for a Month! (Again)EXCLUSIVE: Robert Downey Jr. and Joe Russo Look Back At Infinity WarThe choices we make about AI now are critical — Bill GatesGoldenEye 007 Running Natively on iOS and iPadOS — Chris Sotraidis on ThreadsSuper Mario 64 VR — r/SuperMario64Stash: Fast Add to Clipb...


Minimal Phone 2, Claude Watermarks, and Camera AirPods
Minimal Phone 2, Claude Watermarks, and Camera AirPods episode artwork
#19
08/21/2026

The strangely intriguing Minimal Phone 2 on Kickstarter, Ben Smith of Semafor on Decoder, John Gruber on Anthropic's text watermarking, a free app that fixes DMG installs forever, and the AirPods camera leak hiding inside macOS Tahoe.

Get the NewsletterMinimal Phone 2 Looks A Little TOO Good.. It's about ethics in journalism, with Ben Smith (01:01)Traffic by Ben Smith on Apple Books (01:16)Anthropic’s ‘Watermark’ Text Adulteration in Claude Is a Perversion of Writing (01:52)Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: Borges: South America's TitanEasyDMG — Automated DMG Installs for macOSApple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action (03:53)


Superintelligence is a Dragon and I Should've Tried Raycast Years Ago
Superintelligence is a Dragon and I Should've Tried Raycast Years Ago episode artwork
#18
08/14/2026

Mrwhosetheboss on what Google's Pixel 11 event means for Android's future, Colin and Samir on where the AI line is for creators, Casey Newton's take on Zuckerberg's AI manifesto, and the launcher that's better than Spotlight.

Get the NewsletterSend me a messageGoogle Pixel 11 Hands on - The Phone Crisis Begins.The Cancellation of Hank Green & Why Gen Z Hates Ai (00:30)We need to talk about the Hank Green situationSuperintelligence is a dragon — PlatformerRaycastEveryone was right about RaycastHow to spot AI writing — The Economist


Space is Bigger Than You Think, Google Maps Blew It, When It's Too Much AI
Space is Bigger Than You Think, Google Maps Blew It, When It's Too Much AI episode artwork
#17
08/07/2026

Cleo Abram's tour of fascinating neutrino detectors, Kurzgesagt's video on why we're trapped in  our Solar System, and if you're over 40, you're ready to use AI.

Get the NewsletterThe Massive Machine Hidden in the Deep Ocean‎Watch Silo - Show - Apple TV (00:39)Why Humanity Will Never Leave The Solar SystemThe Puzzle of Grief - Summer Archive (00:55)See how Google Earth let people make fake scenes of bombings, riots and destruction (01:27)I Built the Task App I've Always Wanted - YouTubeKan Do: Project Management App - App StoreAfter Years Building a Brand on Authenticity, Hank Green Says He Relied...


iPhone User's Take on Z Fold 8, Deep Fitness Tracker Testing, U.S. Bans Robot Vacuums
iPhone User's Take on Z Fold 8, Deep Fitness Tracker Testing, U.S. Bans Robot Vacuums episode artwork
#16
07/31/2026

Andrew Clare tests the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as a primarily iPhone user, history podcasts I can't stop listening to, in-depth fitness tracker testing, two of my favorite apps got big upgrades, and the FCC just banned robots, including vacuums.

Get the NewsletterTesting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as an iPhone User... No Fluff (00:05)World War II with Tom Hanks (00:31)The Halifax Explosion (Entry 562.JB0409) — Omnibus (00:48)The Wearable Showdown: Oura Ring 5 vs. Fitbit Air vs. Whoop MG vs. Apple Watch — WSJ (01:16)AI Broke Containment, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Lineup, Best Fitness Trackers with Lexy Savvides — Primary Technology (01:52)Pastebot 3 (02:11)Nutrition Tracker: Foodnoms (02:45)The US...


Nolan's Odyssey, WWII with Tom Hanks, Great Apple Home App
Nolan's Odyssey, WWII with Tom Hanks, Great Apple Home App episode artwork
#15
07/24/2026

Ludwig Göransson's incredible Odyssey score, a feature-length breakdown of Nolan's "invisible CGI," World War II podcast with Tom Hanks, a great smart home app, creativity in the age of AI.

The Odyssey | In Studio: Ludwig GöranssonThe Odyssey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on Apple Music (00:26)NOLAN'S CGI is really just INVISIBLE CGI ("no CGI" part 6)The Beginning (01:11) - WWII with Tom HanksDr. Jill Lepore on why the AI backlash is vital for the futureThe Odyssey (2026) Review (01:50) - Movies on the Side‘The Odyssey’ Shows Us Just How Big, Bold, and Grown-Up Movies Can Be. Scream for More.HomeSn...


Robot Hands Are Getting Wild, Get USB-C Cable Insights, ChatGPT Super App
Robot Hands Are Getting Wild, Get USB-C Cable Insights, ChatGPT Super App episode artwork
#14
07/17/2026

The 1X NEO robot's incredibly dexterous new hands, Hank Green interviews Helen Hunt on his new podcast, M.G. Siegler on why the new ChatGPT app sort of super sucks, a free Mac utility that tells you what your USB-C cables can really do, plus Facebook Marketplace food reviews and jaw-dropping bird calls.

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Movies on the Side
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/movies-on-the-side/id1373518864

Primary Technology
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/primary-technology/id1723943281

Mac Power Users
https://podcasts...


How IMAX 70mm Works, Best Movie and TV App, The Rest is History
How IMAX 70mm Works, Best Movie and TV App, The Rest is History episode artwork
#13
07/10/2026

A behind-the-scenes look at how IMAX projects 70mm film for The Odyssey, the JFK series that got me hooked on The Rest Is History, Derek Seaman's top macOS app picks, and the two apps I'm leaning on to track my media and get a second opinion on my health.

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How IMAX 70MM Film is Projected!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7S_geBV5bLQ&is=RiKJLJadWQUnE57P


Deepister.tech on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/deepister.tech


JFK: Death in...


Find My Showdown, Hyperspace, Four Thousand Weeks
Find My Showdown, Hyperspace, Four Thousand Weeks episode artwork
#12
07/03/2026

Lexy Savvides pits Find My against Google's network, ATP digs into Apple's price increases, the book that reframed how I think about time, John Siracusa's disk-space app, and Holst's Jupiter.

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https://shortcut.bot/topfive

I lost my stuff on purpose. Who found it faster?
https://youtu.be/8DvGX96Obh8?is=IJjz38TkacpQt8gI

The Chart Is Terrifying — Accidental Tech Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accidental-tech-podcast/id617416468?i=1000774400611

You're Not Ready For These iPhone Shortcuts
https://youtu.be/zUKCL70V-R4

Four Th...


Slate EV Truck, Apple Raises Prices, Toy Story 5
Slate EV Truck, Apple Raises Prices, Toy Story 5 episode artwork
#11
06/26/2026

First look at the $25,000 Slate EV Truck, why Apple just raised prices across the lineup, a plain-language Mac utility, and what Toy Story 5 says about our screens.

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Affiliate Prime Day Deals
https://geni.us/wN559wu


Shortcuts Community
https://create.beard.fm/checkout/community?coupon_code=HALFOFF25

Spider-Man: Brand New Day – New Trailer (4K)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62bIsvRcPv0


Slate Truck First Look: The $25,000 Modular EV!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0t7...


How  Vision Pro Immersive Content is Made, Harmony Remotes, Tech News Moves
How  Vision Pro Immersive Content is Made, Harmony Remotes, Tech News Moves episode artwork
#10
06/19/2026

A behind-the-scenes look at how Apple builds those immersive visionOS environments, Version History episode on the Harmony remote, how Australia's social media ban is actually playing out, a fun shortcut for yesterday's sports scores, and shake-ups happening in tech journalism.

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How  Vision Pro Immersive Environments Are Made
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIqQSs6R-6Y

Harmony remote: Control freak — Version History
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harmony-remote-control-freak/id1840983742?i=1000772624848


How Australia's social media ban has affected families six mont...


Apple Vision Pro Future, Task App, Viticci's 10 Years at WWDC
Apple Vision Pro Future, Task App, Viticci's 10 Years at WWDC episode artwork
#9
06/12/2026

Justin Ryan asks Apple if it's done with Vision Pro, Primary Technology was LIVE from Apple Park, Federico Viticci's reflective WWDC essay, and the beautifully designed Tasks app I'm about to try.

Get the NewsletterI Asked Apple About visionOS 27 and Vision Pro RumorsAndrew Clare's YouTube ChannelMy WWDC 2026 Video PlaylistWWDC 2026 LIVE from Apple Park | Primary TechnologyWWDC 2026: Between Seasons | MacStoriesmacOS Wall of Text | Basic Apple GuyTasks: Todo Lists & Kanban


MacVince Channel, Gruber on TBPN, Designed in California
MacVince Channel, Gruber on TBPN, Designed in California episode artwork
#8
06/05/2026

MacVince is making incredible YouTube content about apps, John Gruber guesting on TBPN, the Kickstarter for Mike Hurley and Jason Snell's new Apple history podcast, the $10 Mac app I use to grab text from anything, and Amy Poehler's great hang with Judge Judy.

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MacVince's New Mac Apps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Zn0NVoG2g&t


Gruber on TBPN
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blue-origin-explosion-enterprise-ai-hits-spending-limits/id1772360235?i=1000770241038&t=1753


TBPN Episode on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com...


Bob Ross × Mozart × Ferrari
Bob Ross × Mozart × Ferrari episode artwork
#7
05/29/2026

Ferrari's first EV designed by Jony Ive, Sundar Pichai on Google's AI future, a seven-year-old video about the word you say every day, and a new RSS reader worth trying.

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Ferrari Luce Interior — MKBHD
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6Reu1WS3BhM


How Sundar Pichai Is Rethinking Google for the AI Era — Decoder with Nilay Patel
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-with-nilay-patel/id1011668648?i=1000769616958


Focused — with David Sparks and Mike Schmitz 

Note: My Episode releases Tuesday, June 2n...


Creating vs Consuming, Arctic RV, Making iPhone Apps on iPhone
Creating vs Consuming, Arctic RV, Making iPhone Apps on iPhone episode artwork
#6
05/22/2026

A YouTube gem on making instead of consuming, the Antarctic Snow Cruiser disaster, an Apple Vision Pro doc on Real Madrid, the social app that unifies Bluesky and Mastodon, and Google brings vibe coding to Android phones.

Get the Newsletterstop being an audience member of your own life — YouTubeApple TV renews 'Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars' for a second season — 9to5MacKnife's Edge on Apple TVThe Antarctic Snow Cruiser — Omnibus — Apple PodcastsReal Madrid Immersive Documentary Releases This Friday on Apple Vision Pro — MacStoriesIndigo for Bluesky & Mastodon — App StoreGoogle AI Studio news from Google I/O 2026 — The Keyword447: 'A Sociopathic Fa...


Antarctica's Secrets, I Am Not a Robot, Do You Hate AI?
Antarctica's Secrets, I Am Not a Robot, Do You Hate AI? episode artwork
#5
05/15/2026

Cleo Abram goes to Antarctica, Jonah Hill's interview on SmartLess, Joanna Stern's new book I Am Not a Robot is out, a few great Mac apps, and a commencement address clip reacting to AI.

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Email Me
hey@topfive.tech


What's Really Under Antarctica - Cleo Abram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfGEMCb6BQU


Watch the SmartLess Live Show with Jonah Hill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCvlPFnOC0o


SmartLess Live with Jonah Hill...


Hannah Fry on Claude, Acquired's Starbucks Story, Animated Earth
Hannah Fry on Claude, Acquired's Starbucks Story, Animated Earth episode artwork
#4
05/08/2026

Hannah Fry tests what AI agents can really do, the founding story of Starbucks on Acquired, the rise of clip farms, massive new data center debacle, and the Earth like no one has seen.

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Hannah Fry on Claude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnzR5aOElvw

Acquired: Starbucks with Howard Schultz
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/acquired/id1050462261?i=1000657758174


The Clippening — The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/report/920005/social-media-clipping-podcasts-clavicular-marketing-mrbeast


Claude and Grok as Roommates — 512 Pixels
h...


AI Chatbots IRL, Software Brain, Vision Pro Rumors
AI Chatbots IRL, Software Brain, Vision Pro Rumors episode artwork
#3
05/01/2026

John Oliver tackles AI chatbots, Nilay Patel on the AI backlash, swirling Vision Pro and MagSafe rumors, a fun wallpaper shortcut, and my take on actually useful AI.

Get the NewsletterAI Chatbots — Last Week Tonight with John OliverDecoder with Nilay Patel — Apple PodcastsThe people do not yearn for automation — The VergeApple Reportedly Gives Up on Vision Pro After M5 Refresh — MacRumorsApple Questioning Whether to Drop MagSafe from iPhone — MacRumorsJon Prosser: "Vision Pro ain't dead fam"Basic Gradient Wallpaper ShortcutPatel: Software Brain — Daring Fireball15 Useful Ways I Use AI Every Day


New Things, Hans Zimmer, Tim Cook Leadership Lesson
New Things, Hans Zimmer, Tim Cook Leadership Lesson episode artwork
#2
04/24/2026

Joanna Stern launched her "New Things," a look inside Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Studios, Jason's great commentary on Tim Cook, and on retiring from content creation (not me).

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Watch the Private Video
https://youtu.be/WcK0DdUcazk

Why I Quit The Wall Street Journal To Start This YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd2Dyr0m3BI

Tim Cook Steps Down. And Who is John Ternus? — With Joanna Stern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXOLfijQzQc

In...


Mythos, Capture, and AT&T
Mythos, Capture, and AT&T episode artwork
#1
04/16/2026

What's the story on Mythos AI from Anthropic, a fascinating AT&T history lesson, a must-read Sam Altman profile, and the best app I’m using to save everything.

Get the Newsletter!Watch this on YouTube

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Watch: Hank Green Interview on MythosListen: Western Electric 500: Monopoly phoneVideo versionRead: Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? — The New YorkerPrimary Tech Chapter on Sam AltmanDownload: Capture AppDeep: Reconcilable Differences #284: Burger Boy I Deleted My Second Brain