Vergecast: AirPods 2 review, the AirPower’s demise, and all of the things Google canceled

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Apple canceled the AirPower, but it released the AirPods 2.

Google shut down Inbox and Google+, but it released Android Q Beta 2.

This week on The Vergecast, Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Paul Miller discuss what Apple and Google’s next moves will be after clearing out some products.

We’ve also got some gadget news! Rumors of a potential AirPod competitor arise, 5G gets deployed in two cities, and, of course, Paul continues his weekly segment “A jaunty nega-notch.”

I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting, so I guess you have to listen to the whole show to find out!

Stories discussed this week:

• The Creators Issue
• Apple cancels AirPower wireless charger
• Apple drops HomePod price down to $299
• Apple AirPods 2 review: even more wireless
• Amazon is making a rival to Apple’s AirPods as its first Alexa wearable
• Android Q’s second beta embraces foldable phones, multitasking Bubbles
• Leaked Oppo Reno pictures show off the weirdest notch-killing slider yet
• Anker’s GaN charger-battery combo is now in the Apple Store
• Google begins shutting down its failed Google+ social network
• Verizon begins deploying its 5G mobile network in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis
• Microsoft unveils new Surface Book 2 model with Intel’s latest quad-core processor
• Dell XPS 13 (2019) review: the right stuff, refined
• Apple apologizes for continued reliability problems with its MacBook keyboards

There’s a lot more Vergecast where that came from, so check out everything in our feed, including Tuesday’s special crossover episode with Recode Media’s Peter Kafka about Apple’s TV and news plans.