Would you let a robot draw your blood?, Meta settlement, new Apple Hardware, Health Tech Innovations

[music] Hello everyone and welcome to Tech Magic, the podcast where we talk about everything that's happening in technology and innovation. I'm your host Kathy Hackle and I'm joined as always by my amazing co-host Lee Keebler. Lee, how are we doing? >> Oh, that that's not the question right now. Where are you? >> I'm actually in Costa Rica. That's where I part of part of my family is from Costa Rica. I'm in Costa Rica and I came down for like a day and a half. Very short trip cuz my dad, get this everyone. My dad who is 82, soon to be 83, just launched a book. It's not his first book. It's not his first rodeo. But yeah, I'm like so proud of him. It's a memoir this time around. He normally writes about international law and diplomacy, but this time it's a memoir. So I could not miss it and I came down to Costa Rica to support him. >> That's amazing. That is amaz congratulations from me as well. >> I will absolutely. It's it's exciting, right? So, I'm definitely not in my normal normal places. >> Yeah, I didn't recognize the background at all. This was a new one for me. It's usually It's usually you jet setting somewhere and I was like, wait, this looks like just a house. I don't [laughter] know where you are. >> Very, very different. And but you know, we there's so much to talk about, Lee. >> So much to talk about. I don't know where to start. Do we want to start? Um I mean there's, you know, this is this is going live pretty soon, but there is a settlement today of about 17 billion dollars between Meta and the States for >> Oh, I have not heard this. The social media trial that was going on. They have settled at a court uh for $17 billion. >> Yeah. That seems like a lot of money, but it's not. Um you know what I mean? Like it's a lot of money to us. >> How many how many like they're are they already a trillion dollar company? I don't even know. Probably they're most triller whatever. >> It this is this is the disparaging difference between like five tech companies and the rest of the world is $15 billion is a ton of money when you split it up amongst even just a couple of states. Like even for states that's a lot of money. But for Meta is it? >> Well, how many trillions is Meta worth? I don't even I don't even remember anymore. >> It's Yeah, it's this is this is tricky because like I don't know what that means for future litigation because this was kind of like we need to see where this goes before other stuff happens. I will say today I didn't know this this had happened. This is news to me. You're breaking this news to me live. I had I had no idea. I was off doing something else. But I did get I noticed I got a number of emails from Meta because I'm on like their developer list >> all about like new rules and guidelines and things and how they want to make things safer in the age of AI. And I was like, well, that's curious that this is all coming into my inbox on one day. And I thought that it was because they've got their Meta Connect coming up, but that's like late September. >> Yeah. >> Now it makes more sense. Okay. All right. >> It's a drop in the bucket. I mean, it's a lot of money like you said, but it's a drop in the bucket. A lot of states they were asking for like a huge amount of trillion trillions of dollars maybe their market cap. They were asking for something similar to the market cap for Mida. So, um >> it'll be interesting how to see how this plays out like larger scale amongst other states, other countries, things like that. We we will we'll see. >> I don't know. And then we've got the Apple event which we talked about last time. >> Yeah, let's talk about this because so I don't know if this was Tim Cook or like who did this but like literally the beginning of this week they just started dropping new like new hardware regardless of the Apple event. So we got was it yesterday we got a new we got two new Mac minis. >> Yeah, >> that's insane. We got a Mac we two new chips the M5 Pro and an M6. These are in the new Mac minis, Mac Studios. Um, their whole thing about this is to be able to bring uh things like OpenClaw locally. Um, that's that's kind of their whole spiel and I definitely want to talk about what that means in the broader sense because I I agree with Apple. I said it. I don't like that I said it, but I said it. I agree with Apple on on this approach. Now, Ramageddon is here. These machines are tiny but expensive. Holy crap, they're expensive. Um, this >> Yeah, the pricing we >> So, just the Mac Mini. This is the Mac Mini with the M6 chip. And this is going to get real nerdy speak. It shouldn't be because Apple's usually pretty good about dodging the nerdy speak, but they got this like a little weird this time around. So, the new Mac Mini, this is their standard Mac Mini with the M new M6 chip. $8.99. That is with 256 GB of storage on device and 16 gigs of RAM. This same computer a couple years ago, and I do literally mean a couple, like two, was $4.99. >> That's crazy. So, we have we have approached doubling in price in the matter of maybe a year, year and a half or so, maybe two years at the most. Um, so that one was eye watering. Um, because I'm a Mac Mini fan. That is my computer of choice. That's what I have in my studios. Um, because they're small, they're powerful, they do what I needed to do. I don't need a laptop. They're great. And they were $4.99. It was like the best price you could get for a Mac. Now, here's the thing. This is not the most powerful one, right? If you want the Pro line, they they didn't launch an M6 Pro. That's what they just for nomenclature sake. I don't know what the difference is actually when it comes down to the silicon, but now we're talking about the M5 Pro. The M5 Pro is more powerful than the M6. That's a little strange for people coming to the table. Um, this thing ranges all over the place, but I think it starts at somewhere like $1,600. It tops out if you max this thing out. $5,500. >> You have to be such a committed like I don't know >> now. >> Who needs to buy that? Like who like if people are like if you're in creative design if I mean the pro the pro-nomenclature is necessary in this sense right like that was where like MacBook Pro um the Mac Pro all of those things were were really important because yes if you're doing video processing and things like that. Yeah. Or you're running a dev machine and it's got to do a lot of process. Yeah. 100% totally get it. Um it is I mean I remember the desktops you would max those out and they would hit into the 10 grand like they they you could right um now they've gotten away from that. They actually you know RIP on those like they they have really kind of made the M 5 Pro Mini now they're kind of or their studio their their go-to desktops. Um, but yeah, $5,500 >> and it didn't even announce like this is now. This is this didn't even announce >> before the Apple event, which by the way, we're going to be like, >> yeah, >> we're going to be watching that very like, you know, >> I just there was a third announcement. Did you see the third and third one? Catch me. >> Oh, yeah. This one's big. Yeah, this is a price drop. >> Oh, no. Oh, I know where you're going with this. Oh, Lord. All right, tell tell our audience about the price drop. >> Apple quietly released a refreshed version of their polishing cloth. It is now $9 instead of $19. That's a 50% savings, but yes. >> So, if you are in the market for a new Apple polishing cloth, they've got a deal for you. Yes. Uh, from what anyone can tell, it's there's it's not >> Why do we need a $19 now? Nine. You know, nine call now and get a pair a set of knives. $9 cloth. I I don't know. >> I remember when they used to come with the computer like that. That was They threw one in with my laptop. So, yeah. But yeah, you can get a uh a polishing cloth now for $9. I think this is this is what I actually think. I think that the polishing cloth when it launched in 2021 was subjective to people buying the Vision Pro because of all the glass. >> Mhm. >> That's I I honestly think that was their I thought process behind that. Um you'll lose it and you want an official one because and if you can afford a an an Apple Vision Pro, you can afford a $19 polishing cloth, right? Like that was kind of part of it. >> Um yeah. So yeah, new new Apple $19 polishing cloth, but you know, I think it's just it was like you buy this too. I'm like, okay, sure. Give me whatever. Oh lord. >> So while Apple's dropping polishing cloth, uh Google dropped the new Pixel 11 Pro, too. >> What do you think of it? I mean, you're I I have no say nothing. I have nothing to add on the Google Pixel like discussion. You tell me. >> Yeah, I I like the Pixel because of how flexible it is and reliable it is. Um, I This is what is crazy, and this is turning me off a little bit from the Pixel, I will admit. Uh, >> oh, uhoh. >> They're They're solid phones with very reliable hardware. They're not the most powerful on the market, but their software is very good. That's always been their thing. They they're kind of like they take the Nintendo approach of like, it's not the most powerful thing on the market, but it will get you where you need to go, and we have really great software, so you're going to love using it. But I had to after the launch of Gemini, I had to go through my phone and turn so much stuff off. It was they they've gone too far into needing to get everything off of your phone so that they can teach Gemini magic tricks. And so, I mean, I spent forever. Now, my phone almost functions as a dumb phone, right? like I still have my my web browser and stuff on there, but by and large most of my Google apps go completely unused. Um, and a lot of that had to do with >> I originally bought it for Gemini being integrated directly into the phone and they just went so deep with it that I was like I I can't do this anymore. Um, it was it was just popping up all the time. So, >> I probably will not be going to the Pixel 11 Pro. Um, that that's that's where I'm at right now. my phone. >> Um, before we keep going with the news, I do want to say I want to give a shout out to all our listeners because we we apparently have listeners all over the globe. No surprise guys, but South Africa, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Korea, Ireland, Portugal, we're actually one of the top rated podcast in Malta and in Austria. >> All right. >> So, hey, I want to share that with our audience and [laughter] wherever you are in the world. We adore you. We're so happy you're here. I'm just like really uh really excited to see those numbers. I mean, Korea, my goodness. >> That's great. Well, you do you do a lot of traveling, so I guess I can't be that surprised, I guess. But I am super glad to hear that, for sure. >> I'm excited. All right, I'm going to keep going with some news. I've got a couple questions for you. >> Okay. >> Would you let a robot draw your blood? Um, I know I know the article you're talking about and I've thought about this, [sighs and gasps] you know. Yes. Because it is in a if it's in a medical insured medical facility, I know they've got so much at stake with their insurance that it has to work. I also fully understand how dangerous it is to have blood drawn at a hospital, right? You know, people go in for B and like this is where >> those care don't scare our listeners too much. But >> no, but it's true, right? Like it's something you have to take into consideration of like there's a risk inherent risk that comes with all of that. Um, I think if the and I've gotten I've gone and gotten blood tests at my yearly physical or whatever and sometimes you get someone who really just they've been doing it for like 20 years and it's like nothing and then sometimes you get an intern and when and you get bruises, you know, it it's Yeah, I think I would. Yeah, >> I would. So, I have a fear of needles. Like I am so afraid of needles. Like I do not have a tattoo for that reason even though I love tattoos. Hey, I live in the most like tattooed city in America, but I have no tattoos cuz I can't >> I love tattoos. I love men with tattoos, but I do not have any cuz I am deathly afraid of needles. So, um I remember a couple years back there was a a little a little thing was like infrared that you could see your your veins and it could find it cuz it's really hard to find my veins. >> And I was like, "Oh, this is a heavenset, right?" I haven't really seen it used in too many places. There's only like a few places in DC that use it, but am I going to drive all the way there to get my blood drawn if I can go close to my house right now? Um, but I have had those scenarios where someone doesn't know what they're doing and they actually hurt me because it's really hard to find them and I was thinking about this when you when you when you share that news and I was like, you know what, if it is if there is that level of precosly, right? that level of precision exists and it's boom wham bam thank you ma'am kind of thing like go in get the blood and go like I wouldn't mind it I would be nervous though I have to say I would be nervous the first time having a robot go in >> um right human you can always be like ow you know there is to me there is that of having a human do this for you where I'm like oh I turn into a seven-year-old and can use the small needle and can use some of that spray that used with little children Like there's a a ritual that I do have there when I do get my block drawn, but >> and a lollipop when it's all over, right? >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> No, but think about it like this. There's a lot of very uh like minimally invasive procedures and surgeries that have to take place that have converted over to robotics already. And if we have moved some of these life-saving procedures to become minimally invasive because we are able to do it with robotic control, I'm certain that it can give you a shot. That that's kind of where I'm at. And you said something really >> you you said something interesting of like the the the lighting vein tech that you'd seen but you hadn't seen recently. You do actually see that technology pretty often. I would say probably for yourself even daily. You just don't realize you're seeing it. It's very similar to the tech that is within smartwatches that um is taking your pulse. There was a um company in I think they were based out in Los Angeles that I had worked with very way back in the 2012 days. Um Bio something I cannot remember their name. I'll have to look it up and I'll post it later. But they got bought out by Intel because they had figured out the lighting spectrum for registering the pulse in the wrist and it is a very specific lighting spectrum. And in that I I believe, don't quote me on this part of it. I know they got bought out by Intel, but I believe that that patent is the same patent that gets used basically transferred into all of the wearable texts and it just gets paid for. Um, but it's not dissimilar to what you're talking about where they can see the veins. Um, it it's just a lighting spectrum that can see right through the first layer of skin. It's really interesting stuff. >> Very interesting. I think it definitely, you know, if it helps finding the vein and making it more precise. I'm sure these robots are probably using some of that technology if they have that level of precision. Um, so I want to stay with this health tech vibe that we're talking about, right? Let's talk about teeth. >> All right. I'm you sent me this one and I was like, "Oh, wow." Um, >> there are human trials right now to regrow your teeth. >> Yes. No, this makes a lot of sense. So, one of my best friends growing up, he uh he actually ended up going into the medical field, but I remember him like in college, we were talking about this. He goes, "I don't understand why teeth are the one bone that doesn't heal itself. Why do we have to go and get fillings? You know, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense because every other bone if it gets damaged, it just heals it. It regrows. It regenerates. >> Evidently, there is a third level of of regeneration that is just dormant within humans. and a Japanese biotech startup um found out what this is. There's a they now have a drug that they're doing clinical trials for that wakes that dormant regeneration up. And so if that tooth goes, you can grow just naturally grow another one. When I first read this, I was like, are they grafting? Is this going to be like they pull a a tooth out of like a a a tooth shark and all of a sudden I've got shark teeth? Like how does this work? >> Oh god. >> But it is very interesting that we genetically have this dormant suppressed third round of teeth that we're not taking advantage of. And this evidently there's a company in Japan that says maybe we can tap into that. Um, so yeah, it is going to clinical trial. >> Uh, I was shocked at how inexpensive the raise was for a phase 2a trial. Uh, it was $5.3 million. >> That's it. >> Um, it's so small now, right? Small potatoes compared to like compared to tropic. We're going to go there in a second, but lord. Oo, and this is this is targeting 24 children with severe congenital uh teeth problem. Um, so we'll we'll see. I I am keeping an eye on this one. Uh, we may be that first generation that doesn't go to dentures. Uh, that could be interesting. What's big denture going to do? Oh, no. >> Teeth. I mean, people people like my ex-husband, I remember, had like an accident on his bicycle, almost lost his front teeth, >> right? Like that's like some serious stuff. Like people have accidents. Many things could happen. I mean there are parts of the of the US specifically, you know, in Appalachia where they unfortunately consume a lot of sugary drinks and their teeth are a mess, >> right? So it could have really positive quote unquote impacts, right? How cute their teeth look if they're white. It's about being able to actually, you know, talk and be and eat and all these sorts of things. >> You get old enough and the veneers got to come off. You don't know what's underneath there either. So >> Oh lord. I Yeah, that's one reason I've veneers look beautiful, but I just I don't think I can go through. Yeah, >> I don't know what's underneath. So, no way. >> So, yeah, we'll see. We'll see. Let's let's let's jump over to um Anthropic as we're talking about little number like $5.3 million potato numbers. >> 30 trillion. Anthropic is telling their investors that it sees over thrill 30 trillion in potential revenue. This is Wall Street Journal. This is not some off-the cuff tech blog. Okay, this is what's wrong. Like if you want and of all of the AI companies that are trying to be out there and be big, I have to say I think Anthropic is at least presenting themsel in the best light that they can. >> Your favorite. >> No, >> least subject. I DON'T KNOW. WHAT would you qualify it as? Um, uh, I mean, Claude is my main focus is Claude and then I'm using some other privacy tools I can't disclose, but I mean Claude tends to be my go-to. >> They're they're at least pretending that they want to do the right thing. Um, you know, and so I Okay, that's better than some people who aren't, you know, some companies that aren't. >> How about I reframe the question, Lee? If they go public, when they do, actually, let's say when they do go public, as a retail investor, would you buy >> no >> shares? Yeah, I wouldn't either. >> No, I wouldn't buy any IPO attached to a standalone AI play. And I've got very good reason for this. This is our next art. This is the next article I want to bring up because it's not just where's the value, this is destroying everything, da da da da da da. I'm going to I agree with all of those things, but that's not the argument to be made here. First off, and this is where people have got to read between the lines, there's $30 trillion in potential revenue is under the assumption that they capture 100% of the market share. >> No one catches 100%. >> No. Right. >> Yeah. No one there. No one does that. Like no one can do that. No one has done that. So they're they're telling investors they see 30 trillion in potential revenue as long as they win. Now there's there's an issue to this. Okay, you get let's say you do get 100% of the market revenue market share. Now you're you have to answer the question who where's this value going? Right? Okay. Because really it can't go to the it can't go to the everyday user. Everyday users are not finding value in this tool. I think that's the hard part to understand. You and I are so close to it because we are we live in the tech space. But the the average person just doing their thing during the day if they use it they might reformat an email. But the average person, the average person's life doesn't even focus that much around emails, right? Like, so there's not a place where the majority of humans use this. Now, that doesn't mean it doesn't have value. It does have value. It has value to companies, right? And those companies are hoping that this replaces their employees because employees are expensive, right? So, in order to do that, they have to replace like all the employees. Then what do the people do, right? like there there is a >> well then who's going to buy the product or the service or whatever it is that you know if Amazon's not selling humans I mean yeah agents will be buying things for us and agent commerce is a whole other episode but if humans are not making money who's going to buy >> right I okay so here's here's >> right we're we're in this economic slump right now um you call it whatever you want to call it but we are obviously in economic slump there has been a lot of layoffs a lot of the people that I see especially on LinkedIn the the whole like Let's go look at like the LinkedIn lunatic subreddit, right? Is there's >> I'm sure I've shown up there. Who knows? >> No, you haven't. I keep That's why I follow it. I just want to make sure you don't up there and I don't pop up there. [laughter] >> I'm looking over both of us. Okay. >> But there there's this idea of like, oh, now's the time to go into vocation. So, I just did a remodel um you know, on a room and I was talking to people who like contractors who were doing this and I said, you know, how's the business? And really honestly, it's not that great because everyone thinks that, oh, the vocational areas of plumbing, electrical, contracting has is is AI proof. But if no one's making any money, they can't afford to do any remodels. So, we have no work cuz an electrician doesn't get paid to just rewire their house over and over again. They get rewire they get paid to rewire new buildings, new construction, or renovated construction. Yes, that is technically AI proof, but it's not if you look at it from so if you're betting the entire economy on this singular technology and you're saying it's going to get 30 mill trillion dollars I almost said million trillion dollars in potential revenue. What are you talking about now? Why is this really a nightmare? It's very simple. Another article popped out. This one needs to be on everybody's everybody's radar. Ox Alpha. >> Total rando AI model. Nobody's claimed. It just pops up on the internet. >> It's insane. >> China though. I hear that it's coming from China. >> You hear a lot of things. We hear all of these. Let's assume it is. Let's say it is. It's It is a system that can run locally. It boasts roughly a million token context windows. It accepts texts, images, video input, and it's free to use. The issue is not >> it's free, but is it really free? >> Where's this data go? I mean, it's going running on. >> Yeah, 100%. I totally agree. Nothing's free. If it's free, you're the product. I fully believe in that statement. But how does a company that says it has to make $30 trillion to exist possibly say we got to take 100% of the market share and Ox Alpha can shadow drop >> towards IPO. I think that's why Anthropic is putting those news out that narrative >> cool running towards the public markets. >> Okay. Okay, so they go to the public markets because they have to have the money and the and the public market foolishly gives them all the money that they say they need. Now what? Because it doesn't solve this problem. So do they rug pull and now the market is just left holding the bag and they're supposedly too big to fail with the beta product that doesn't actually work and can't count the letters of R and the word strawberry. Like that doesn't make any sense. last I would say the last two years from an investment standpoint make no sense. >> The amounts of capital Yeah. Like I've been trying to scratch my head and Yeah. What's it when is this AI bubble or whatever we're going to call it? You know, there's a market correction that we're due for. That's for sure. >> Yeah. And I don't know. Um but right now is probably the clo especially when you start seeing you know these AI models dropping from who knows where and able to do the same thing. This is why you you said earlier, you hinted that Anthropic might be my favorite and I said, "No, no, no, no. My favorite is Apple. Apple AI, which runs locally on your system, is all that I need or use, right?" Like, that's really the the end all beall. If I use something like Claude or another uh LLM, it's strictly organizational use case. And I've and I've told everyone this. When we create the news rundowns, it is way easier for me to take all the links that I've collected into a a Word document, shove them into Claude, and say, "Create a rundown." and it just does it. So, it's on one sheet. So, I'm just reformatting inside of an LLM, which currently like Apple can't do, but it will be able to do it because I'm not really pushing it. They just don't have a window for that yet. Um, yeah, it I don't >> we'll have to see. We'll have to see. I mean, that's the thing, and I I think we're going to probably end with this is that we don't really know where Anthropic's going, if it's going to be around for the next five years or even 35, right? But Linux, for example, is turning 35. >> Yes. They already turned 35. They turned 35. Well, this week, what do I even call it? >> It's an operating system, right? Linux. It >> not. >> Yes. Uh Lionus Tvolt. Um who actually lives in Portland, Oregon. So he's he's a Portland Europe for some reason. >> No. No. Um yeah, I' I've never met him, but yeah, he he lives here in Portland. Uh yeah, Linux is turning 35. This this is there are companies out there that truly make change and make impact and you just don't talk about them because they don't falsify their numbers. Linux has definitely been an operating system that started off as like a hobby. He literally said it was a hobby and it wasn't going to be big and professional. His words, not mine. And now it pretty much is the backbone to the internet. Like it it it is in I would say everyone has a Linux machine. They just don't know it. >> Mhm. >> Right. Um, everyone has one. You might not have a Windows PC or you might not have a Mac, but you do have something running Linux in your house. It might be your smart TV. It might be your your Android phone cuz that's technically Linux. I know you definitely do because everything Meta puts out is running on some form of Android Linux. Um, so like yeah, it it it's an important thing. So yeah, happy birthday to to Linux. So 35 years old. Um today I don't know what to call it until the end. >> They'll be around probably for another 35. I This is a This is a language you're not going to get get rid of. Um yeah, they're they're right up there for like with me and like Steam, right? Like Steam runs so much of the gaming industry that they're just going to be around. I I don't see any changes happening. >> Let's see what happens next week. Maybe Apple will drop some more stuff. Who knows? Oh lord. >> I mean, arguably, even if you go into the back end of Apple, it's still based on like the Unix architecture. So, you're still getting dangerously close to Linux. Like, it's just kind of the conceptuality of it is just in everywhere. Uh, yeah, that's that's where we are right now. >> Anyways, I I I I'm going to let you enjoy your time in Costa Rica. Thanks for jumping on the podcast. I I know you're on vacation mode, so you don't have any books to to suggest, but I >> I'm I'm reading my dad's book. >> You do have There you go. See, you do have a book to suggest. [laughter] I always like to put out some music of like, hey, go listen to this. I got to say, go listen to some Dolly Parton. Just like go grab Go grab something. 80 years. um as a Nashvilleian who lived in her actual like first neighborhood. She was such a a key figure. I even remember as a kid growing up and going to Dollywood in in uh Gatlinburgg Pigeon Forge and that was always a a fun thing. I just can still hear her voice playing in the speakers as we walk through the the uh the theme park. So uh Dolly will be missed. But yeah, go go go pull some Dolly Parton music and enjoy enjoy some country music >> or do some Jolene or some karaoke with Dolly songs this weekend. [laughter] >> All right, everyone. Thank you for tuning in to Tech Magic where we always invite you to come for the text day for the magic. I'm Lee Keebler with the incredible Kathy Hackle. We will be back next week. [music] [music]