In an opinion column for 404 Media, Matthew Gault argues Apple has entered its "slop era," blindsided by AI and, under new CEO John Ternus, launching hardware its previous leaders rejected — including a touch-screen laptop and a folding iPhone Duo that Gault says is already cracking. He traces a petty, decades-old grudge to coworkers at a Dallas Banana Republic who pressured him to trade his Motorola Razr for an iPhone.