How Roomba got stuck | The Vergecast

Some products are so successful they become snyonymous with their whole category — nobody asks for a facial tissue, they ask for a Kleenex, you know? Today's episode is, at least in part, about two of those products. First, The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to chart the rise and fall of the Roomba, the robot vacuum that practically invented the category and yet seems to have been left behind. Can iRobot get its robot back on its feet? After that, Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn discusses the state of e-readers, what it's like to always be "the best non-Amazon option," and what we all want from devices that aren't our smartphone. Finally, The Verge's Chris Welch helps us answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11, or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about which TV you should buy in 2025. It's a complicated question, but there are answers.

0:00 Intro
3:23 The rise and fall of the Roomba
42:59 Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn on the state of e-readers
1:20:45 Vergecast Hotline

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Post from The Verge on March 25, 2025

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