The PC Pro Podcast

The team discusses a major security threat to online services everywhere, the government’s latest proposals for policing the internet and Microsoft’s novel attempt to coax pirates into paying for Office. In a Hot Hardware special we round up our favourite products of 2021.

The gang discusses Microsoft’s attempts to persuade people to stick with its Edge browser, the latest assaults on your online privacy and the future of quantum computing. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Fairphone 4, a modular and repairable 5G smartphone. Link – IEEE Spectrum interviews quantum computing architect John Martinis: https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-computing-google-sycamore

The team discusses some questionable behaviour from Microsoft, Amazon’s sneaky promotion of its own brands and Qualcomm’s new ARM processor for Windows machines. We also give away a podcasting microphone and amplifier courtesy of box.co.uk. Our Hot Hardware candidate is a £3,500 gaming PC from Scan, powered by Intel’s new 12th-generation Core i9 processor.

The team discusses how different countries are handling the rise of cryptocurrency, Apple's questionable app ratings and rumours that Windows might soon be available on a much wider range of ARM hardware. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Røde Wireless Go II, a compact wireless microphone system.

The team discusses Apple’s huge U-turn on repairability, the gradual winding-down of Windows 10 and IBM’s latest breakthrough in quantum computing. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the 16in Apple MacBook Pro, showcasing the new M1 Max processor.

The team discusses Microsoft’s new Windows 11 SE platform, a graphene-based battery breakthrough and an unexpected climbdown on repairability from Apple. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Logitech MK295 Silent Keyboard, an affordable keyboard that won’t wake the neighbours.

The team discusses Mark Zuckerberg’s plans for the Metaverse, a new addition to Microsoft Office and the backlash against software subscriptions. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Pixel 6 Pro, Google’s newest and best own-brand phone. Links featured in this episode: Washington Post: How Facebook’s “metaverse” became a political strategy in Washington: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021...

The team discusses the latest accusations against Facebook, a cyber-attack on UK VoIP providers, new features in the latest Adobe applications and Intel's newest, fastest CPUs. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Apple's AirPods 3. Links: Apple's now-vanished notch documentation: https://web.archive.org/web/20211026105727/https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/information_property_lis...

The team discusses Apple’s new MacBook Pro models – and the chips that power them – along with Google’s latest Pixel phones, and a probe into online music streaming services. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Astropad Luna Display, a tiny USB adaptor that turns your iPad into a secondary display for a Windows or Mac computer.

The team discusses Microsoft’s new right-to-repair commitments, the latest research into mobile app snooping, warnings over new internet regulations and the latest Wi-Fi upgrade. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Logitech MX Keys Mini, a high-end compact keyboard. Links featured in this episode: The Daily Show on Right To Repair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgK8x5MrShw Study: “Android Mobile O...

The team discusses a huge outage of Facebook services, Sky’s new smart TV offerings and revelations from our exclusive chat with Windows manager Aaron Woodman. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Apple’s latest iPhone – is 13 the company’s lucky number? Featured links: WSJ - 'Facebook Files': https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039 Zuckerberg Response: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/p...

As the official launch of Windows 11 draws near, the team takes an in-depth look at the new OS, discussing interface changes, security enhancements, gaming features and more.

The team discusses Microsoft’s latest Surface devices, new features in iOS 15, the push to standardise phone chargers and the passing of British computing innovator Sir Clive Sinclair. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Samsung Z Flip3, a quirky folding smartphone.

The team discusses Apple’s latest phone, watch and tablet releases, while Microsoft goes passwordless and a new academic institution seeks to reboot social media. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Ray-Ban Stories Wayfarer sunglasses, a pair of stylish shades that can capture photos and video footage.

The team discusses adverts in Windows 11, AI-based photo upscaling, El Salvador’s Bitcoin fiasco and question marks over WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption. As a Hot Hardware special, we take a trip back to 2016 and revisit the first-generation Amazon Echo. A demo and explanation of the SR3 upscaling system: https://iterative-refinement.github.io/

The team discusses the impending arrival of Windows 11, Apple’s partial climbdown over App Store fees and accusations of deceptive marketing in the SSD world. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, the manufacturer’s first Google-powered wearable.

The team discusses a new data-protection shake-up in the UK, the latest hurdle in Nvidia’s acquisition of Arm, vulnerabilities in a wide range of routers using Realtek chipsets and the inexorable rise of semiconductor prices. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, a folding phone that could actually catch on. Here’s a list of routers afflicted by the Realtek vulnerabilities:...

The team discusses the revelations in Facebook’s first ever “Widely Viewed Content Report”, a phishing attack that uses Morse code to slip past security scanners, a new lease of life for legacy landlines and Google’s mysterious new Tensor chip. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the ORIA Bluetooth transmitter, a low-cost gadget that could transform your in-car entertainment.

The team discusses new folding phones from Samsung, Apple’s controversial photo-scanning technology, the cost of outdated IT and Google’s threat to cut the pay of homeworkers. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Huawei MateView, a 28in monitor with an unusual 3:2 aspect ratio.

If the rumours are right, Amazon won’t be delivering our parcels by drone any time soon - but the team isn’t too worried about this failure, it turns out. Plus, will any of our panel buy the Surface Duo phone now that it’s halved in price? Can a robot run a 5K faster than Lee? And will our hot “hardware” of the week, Microsoft’s all-new Windows 365 Cloud PC, get the thumbs up from Jon Honeyball an...

Dell can no longer sell its most high-end PCs in California due to their power demands - is this a harbinger of what’s to come? Plus, Jon Honeyball shares his views on the astonishing profits lodged by big tech companies such as Apple and Barry falls in love with Flight Simulator on the Xbox - before trying to persuade everyone that the Amazon Echo Show 8 is Hot Hardware of the Week.

The team discusses a major new vulnerability in Windows, the emerging Pegasus spyware scandal, the shutting down of an app that flags fake Amazon reviews and Netflix’s proposed move into gaming. Out Hot Hardware candidate is the Apple MagSafe battery pack.

The team discusses Microsoft’s new Windows Cloud service, the growing problem of leaked phone numbers, the uneven distribution of music streaming payments and the UK’s largest ever seizure of cryptocurrency. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the MuteMe, a physical button for muting yourself on VoIP and video calls.

Heather Burns of the Open Rights Group joins the podcast to explain how proposed legislation would outlaw all encrypted communications in the UK. The team also discusses the latest developments in Windows 11, TikTok’s increasing encroachment into the real world and some colourful new labels about to appear in supermarkets. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Eero 6, Amazon’s easy-to-use Wi-Fi 6 mesh...

The team discusses a disastrous attack on WD NAS drives, the end of the Google-Microsoft détente, second impressions of Windows 11 and the return of roaming charges. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Shure MV7 podcast microphone. (Well, WE think it’s interesting.)