This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is a great time to get a fancy, AI-powered bird feeder
29 Mar 2026, 1:00 pm by Brandon Widder
Bird feeders have come a long way since their inception in the early 1900s. These days, it’s not all that surprising to see feeders kitted out with cameras and solar roofs, two marquee features you’ll find on feeders from both BirdBuddy and Netvue. And while modern hoppers can command a pretty penny, Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has dropped the Netvue Birdfy Feeder to $135.99 ($124 off) and Birdbuddy Pro to $179.99 ($120 off), which are some of the best prices we’ve seen.
At their core, both smart bird feeders are designed to help you keep an eye on your soon-to-be feathery friends, allowing for image stills, video, notifications, and AI-powered identification. Birdfy’s offering cuts corners on hardware to keep costs down, though. It features the widest viewing angle of any model at 155 degrees; however, the video quality maxes out at 1080p, whereas the Birdbuddy Pro allows you to capture crystal-clear 2K video (with slow-mo). The accompanying solar panel isn’t integrated directly into the snap-on roof like it is with the Pro, either, which means it doesn’t look quite as slick once set up.
Netvue Birdfy Feeder
Where to Buy:
Software-wise, both motion-activated feeders support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and feature robust, user-friendly apps that can identify species and alert you when a bird is present. Birdbuddy’s is a bit more lively and capable if you’re willing to subscribe to Birdbuddy Premium ($69.99 a year), which unlocks additional info via an AI-powered chat, unlimited video storage, and the ability to track returning visitors, plus the option to view Birdbuddy feeds from around the world. That said, Birdfy’s bird recognition software is free for life — at least with the bundle on offer here — meaning you won’t have to routinely pay for a subscription just to access the essentials. Just be prepared for lots of notifications.
The Macintosh changed computers forever
29 Mar 2026, 12:30 pm by David Pierce
Apple’s most legendary computer has two legacies: there’s the computer itself, and there’s the commercial. That commercial. Only a couple of days before Steve Jobs debuted the computer that would both help cement his legacy and contribute to his unceremonious exile from Apple, the company dropped a Super Bowl ad that is still one of the most iconic commercials of all time. It raised both the hype and the stakes for the Macintosh in a big way.
The Macintosh wasn’t a great computer, at least at first. It didn’t have enough memory; there wasn’t enough software that supported it; it wasn’t customizable in the ways PC users needed at the time. I …
Apple’s long, bitter App Store antitrust war
29 Mar 2026, 12:00 pm by Adi Robertson
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the legal travails of Big Tech, follow Adi Robertson. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
The year was 1998, and reigning personal computer giant Microsoft was on trial for violating antitrust laws, including by targeting its smaller competitor Apple. Apple occupied only a fraction of the PC market, while Microsoft held north of 80 percent. But its cross-platform QuickTime multimedia player threatened Microsoft’s own offerings, and a court determined that Microsoft …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
