This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
‘All chaos and panic’: Nilay answers your burning Decoder questions
18 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by Kate Cox
Welcome to our end-of-year Decoder special! Senior producers Kate Cox and Nick Statt here. We’ve had a big year, including nearly 100 episodes, a new YouTube channel, an ad-free podcast feed, and a slate of great guest hosts while Nilay was on parental leave. It’s been a lot.
We’ve also had a lot of great questions and comments this year from you, our audience. It’s now an annual tradition for us to turn the tables on Nilay for our final episode of the year, so we pulled together all the feedback we’ve received on topics like CarPlay, Monday episode guest suggestions, and — of course — AI. We also received a lot of great questions over the last few weeks asking about how Decoder is put together, what topics we should focus on in the future, and how we think about the format and structure of the show itself.
So today, we welcomed Nilay to Decoder, to grill him on all these questions and more and also to get his thoughts on the past 12 months: What he’s liked, what he wants to improve, and how he’s making decisions for Decoder in the new year.
Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here.
When we did this last year, our top two most frequently asked questions were very straightforward. First: Why isn’t Decoder on YouTube? Thankfully, we fixed that one. We launched the Decoder YouTube channel in October, and we now publish full video episodes every week, starting with our classic Monday interview format. We also got asked a lot about an ad-free podcast option last year, and we’re happy to say that also since October, Verge subscribers now have access to ad-free audio feeds.
We’ve received some feedback about making our Thursday explainer episodes full video, too. Trust us — we’re working on it. It’s a little more complicated and resource-intensive, and so it’s going to take some time to iron out the kinks. Beyond that, we’re very excited to experiment more with format, video, and even live production in 2026. (Come join us live at CES on January 7, at the Brooklyn Bowl!)
If you’d like to check out some of the past Decoder episodes and news stories we talked about in this episode, check out the links below. Happy New Year, and thanks for listening! We’ll be back with all new episodes in mid-January.
- Answering your biggest Decoder questions, 2024 edition | Decoder
- The DoorDash Problem | Decoder
- How decision-making will change when AI answers are cheap and (too) easy | Decoder
- Why GM will give you Gemini — but not CarPlay | Decoder
- Rivian CEO: ‘We’re really convicted’ about skipping CarPlay | Decoder
- How SharkNinja took over the home, with CEO Mark Barrocas | Decoder
- Why Tubi CEO Anjali Sud thinks free TV can win again | Decoder
- Disney accuses Google of ‘massive’ copyright infringement following deal with OpenAI | The Verge
Questions or comments about this episode? Hit us up at decoder@theverge.com. We really do read every email!
The latest iPad Air is $400 for the first time and arrives by Christmas
18 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Cameron Faulkner
If you have $400 and want an iPad, your options are usually kind of limited to either just the base iPad, or better yet, the latest iPad Mini — if it happens to be on sale when you’re shopping (it is now, but that’s not always the case). But right now, you should consider getting the 128GB version of Apple’s 11-inch iPad Air with the capable M3 processor. At Target, multiple colors of this model are $399.99, beating the previous low of $449.99 we’ve seen during large-scale deal events. Currently, no other retailer is matching this price. This sale ends Saturday night.
11-inch iPad Air M3
Where to Buy:
$400 is a sweet price for this model, as it debuted in early 2025 for $600. In terms of how it stacks up to other iPad models, Verge editor-at-large David Pierce said in his impressions that the M3 Air is “exactly what you think it is. Which is fine.” I know, that sounds like a back-handed compliment, but it’s been a while since iPads peaked in terms of utility, design, and fast performance. This one carries the torch in Apple’s tablet dominance, and its M3 processor means it’ll be a fantastic tablet for longer than any other iPad at the $400 price point. Read our in-depth impressions.
Other Verge-approved deals
- Sony’s phenomenal Astro Bot is down to $39.99 for the holidays. The PS5-exclusive title belongs in any gamer’s catalog, with platforming gameplay that should feel familiar to anyone who’s ever played a 3D Super Mario game. It riffs on the formula is some highly original ways and takes full advantage of the delicate rumble motors in the DualSense controller. You can snag this title on disc at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for $39.99 (usually $59.99). Every new PS5 comes with Astro’s Playroom preinstalled, which is a good, yet small taste of what you get with Astro Bot. Read our review.
- Another great discount is happening on a new Apple product. The AirPods Pro 3 are back down to $199.99 at Amazon, which is a $50 discount off their original price. This model came out recently, and iPhone owners won’t find a better set of wireless active noise-canceling earbuds at this price. Compared to the AirPods Pro 2, these have improved sound and more effective noise cancellation. They also include XXS as an eartip size option, totaling five sizes in the box. Read our review.
- Costco members can score a $150 off deal on SimpliSafe’s 13-piece security system. Normally $349.99, it’s $199.99 for members. The set includes a base station, a key pad, a motion sensor, eight entry sensors to equip on window and door frames, plus two of SimpliSafe’s Outdoor Camera Series 2 cams. The outdoor cameras boast 1080p capture with a 140-degree field of view and colorized night vision. As for the motion sensor’s sensitivity, it can detect movement within 35 feet, with a 90-degree field of view. This set comes with a three-month trial of SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring, though its suite of monthly plans range from around $20 and up. If you don’t have a Costco membership, you can sign up for one here.
The best gifts for dads that have everything (but deserve more)
18 Dec 2025, 1:38 pm by Brandt Ranj
What do you get the man who says he has everything? It’s a tough question – and one you have a limited amount of time to answer, given the holidays are nearly upon us. You could try dropping subtle hints or asking friends and family for suggestions, but they might save their best ideas for themselves. Fortunately, if you’re struggling to come up with something, we have more than a few ideas.
With the help of Verge staffers, we’ve compiled suggestions for dads of every make and model. We’ve collected great ideas for music-loving dads, whiskey aficionados, and anyone looking to top off all of their gadgets at once.
BioLite Site Lights
2025 was the beginning of the end of the TV brightness war
18 Dec 2025, 1:30 pm by John.Higgins
Much like the audio industry’s compression-driven loudness war, which reached its distortion-fueled apex (and not the good kind) with Metallica’s Death Magnetic in 2008, the television industry has been having its own battle the past couple of years: the brightness war. Sparked by the introduction of HDR and its higher brightness mastering levels, brands began to push display technology to achieve the necessary light output for HDR movies.
As we hit the 10th anniversary of HDR’s introduction (to the consumer space, at least), 2025 felt like a new crescendo in the “who can be brighter” back-and-forth between brands. Not only did we get our f …
Trump Media is merging with a nuclear fusion company
18 Dec 2025, 1:06 pm by Dominic Preston
Trump Media, the company that runs social network Truth Social, is pivoting to nuclear fusion. It has announced a merger with California-based fusion power company TAE Technologies and plans to start construction on a fusion power plant in 2026.
Trump Media & Technology Group will become the holding company of the new organization, though shareholders from each company will own approximately half of the newly formed firm, which the companies say will be valued at more than $6 billion. President Trump previously owned a majority share in Trump Media, but transferred that to a trust managed by his son, Donald Trump Jr., before taking office i …
It’s the great AGI rebrand
18 Dec 2025, 1:00 pm by Hayden Field
The cringe comes for us all, and for all our hot new turns of phrase. “Rizz” lost its luster when grandparents started asking about its meaning. Teachers who dressed up as “6-7” on Halloween drove a nail into the coffin of Gen Alpha’s rallying cry. And tech CEOs who once trumpeted the quest for “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI, are jumping ship for any other term they can find.
Until recently, AGI was the ultimate goal of the AI industry. The vaguely defined term was reportedly coined in 1997 by Mark Gubrud, a researcher who defined it as “AI systems that rival or surpass the human brain in complexity and speed.” The term still ty …
Apple opens iOS to third-party app stores in Japan
18 Dec 2025, 11:55 am by Dominic Preston
Apple has announced the changes it’s making to the iOS App Store in Japan in order to comply with recent legislation in the country. It will allow third-party app stores and payment processing options, though is introducing new commission fees for those transactions.
Developers in Japan will now be able to distribute apps on alternative app stores, much like in the EU, with AltStore PAL already expecting to launch in the country before the year’s end. As in Europe, Apple will collect a 5 percent commission for in-app purchases made in third-party stores.
App Store apps will also now be permitted to use alternative payment options alongside …
Kuxiu’s S3 MagSafe power bank is bigger and better and probably won’t explode
18 Dec 2025, 7:30 am by Thomas Ricker
Kuxiu is back with a new S3 portable battery that addresses most of the issues I had during my review of the S2, aka the “world’s first” semi-solid state power bank. It also introduces a few new ones, while adding useful features like a kickstand and integrated USB-C cable.
As a reminder, these are not true “solid state power banks” despite the marketing hype. The 10,000mAh Kuxiu S3 uses the same solid-liquid mixed electrolyte found in the S2, making it less prone to thermal runaway than the all-liquid Lithium-ion batteries found in most power banks. Kuxiu says its unique semi-solid state chemistry also lasts twice as long, making it good f …
Cowboy saddles up with a new owner
18 Dec 2025, 7:02 am by Thomas Ricker
The Brussels-based electric bike company has officially closed its deal to be acquired by ReBirth Group Holding, which also owns cycling brands Peugeot, Gitane, and Solex. The transaction includes new, undisclosed funding from ReBirth as well as €15 million ($17.6 million) from existing shareholders. The funding will be used to restart production and deal with a backlog of spare parts, the companies say.
Rebirth is the parent of Re-cycles, the French manufacturer of traditional bicycles that took over responsibility for Cowboy’s e-bike assembly operations earlier this year. Cowboy was plagued by issues in 2025, including delayed deliveries …
The ChatGPT app store is here
18 Dec 2025, 4:27 am by Richard Lawler
On Wednesday evening, OpenAI launched an App Directory to browse all the tools currently available and opened its SDK for developers to build new interactive experiences that operate within the bot’s UI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last month that “We are planning to build the obvious features that you would expect for a robust platform over time,” and opening an app store is certainly a huge step in that direction.
Another change is that OpenAI has renamed the “connectors” that helped users pull data from other services (like Google Drive or Dropbox) into ChatGPT, and is now calling those apps too. As a support page explains, chat connector …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
