Understanding Apple’s China entanglement is essential for anyone working on tech competition, export controls, or supply chain policy. Patrick McGee does an amazing job explaining how Apple and China got to this point in time.
Apple’s China investments exceeded the Marshall Plan, creating unprecedented supply chain interdependence. Now Apple trained 28M+ workers who power competitors like Huawei.
China played the long game—used Apple (and Tesla) partnerships to systematically upgrade domestic tech capabilities.
After years of hype, AR glasses are finally on the horizon. Snap says its next-gen smart glasses will launch in 2026. Meta has already sold over two million of its Ray-Ban smartglasses. And it’s reportedly working on a new version instead of next updating its Quest line of VR headsets. Apple is rumored to be quietly working on its own version. These will be much less obtrusive than big VR headsets—they look (mostly) like regular glasses and promise real-time translation, video calls, and turn-by-turn directions, all floating in front of your eyes.
It sounds amazing. But will people actually wear them?
We’ve already seen how virtual reality (VR) goggles, while fun for gaming, are not yet regularly used by most people. Typically, people are wowed by the technology, but don’t want to strap something to their face that cuts them off from the real world. Think of it like an amusement park. It’s really great and fun, but you wouldn’t want to go every day or every week.
I’ve used both the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 VR headsets. Both are fun, but even if they were lighter and cheaper, they’re a niche product because they’re a big thing strapped to your head. AR is much more subtle—but it still involves wearing something on your head.
For AR glasses to go mainstream, they need to solve real problems—without being awkward or invasive. Think language translation while traveling, guided workouts, hands-free help for delivery drivers, or facial recognition to remind you who that work associate is. It could be an easy way to interact with ever more ubiquitous AI tools. But wearing something on your face is much more difficult and personal than wearing a watch. If the tech feels weird or doesn’t match people’s personal tastes, it won’t be widely used.
For now, the promise is exciting. The reality? Still very much TBD.
If you’re still using a Mac with an Intel processor, it’s time to start planning your next move. Apple has officially announced that macOS 26 Tahoe – releasing this fall – will be the final version of macOS to support Intel-based Macs. After 2025, your Intel Mac won’t receive new features, and security updates will stop by 2028.
The Timeline
Fall 2025: macOS 26 Tahoe releases – the last macOS for Intel Macs
2026 and beyond: No new macOS versions for Intel hardware
Through 2028: Security updates continue
After 2028: No support at all
Which Macs Are Affected?
All Intel Macs from 2020 and earlier will lose support. If you bought your Mac before November 2020, you’re likely affected.
How to Check Your Processor
Click the Apple logo → “About This Mac”
Look for:
“Chip Apple M1/M2/M3/M4” = You’re safe
“Processor Intel Core” = You’re affected
What This Means
Your Intel Mac won’t stop working immediately, but you’ll gradually face:
No new macOS features after 2025
Apps stopping support for older systems
Security vulnerabilities after 2028
Compatibility issues with new software
Your Options
Upgrade to Apple Silicon: New MacBook Airs starts around $850. The speed difference is dramatic – M-series chips deliver significantly faster performance than Intel Macs, often 2-3x faster for everyday tasks, plus much better battery life on laptops.
Keep Your Intel Mac: Fine for basic tasks, but understand the growing limitations over time.
Plan Your Timeline: You have until end of 2025 for the transition, with security updates continuing through 2028.
Bottom Line
You have time to plan, but don’t wait too long. If your Intel Mac is critical for work, start budgeting for an upgrade now. For casual use, you can take a more relaxed approach, but remember that by 2026, you’ll want to have made the switch.
Need help planning your Mac upgrade? As a DC-area technology consultant, I help clients navigate these transitions every day.
I’m getting back into making short videos—something I haven’t done in a while—and the TRMNL e-ink display caught my attention as a fun tech gadget.
What TRMNL Does
TRMNL is a 7.5-inch e-ink display designed to show you information without the distraction. There’s no touchscreen or interface to get lost in—just a clean display that pulls bitmap images from their servers every 5 minutes to an hour.
This isn’t meant for real-time updates. You won’t use it as a clock or for urgent notifications. Instead, it’s perfect for the kind of information that’s useful but not urgent: weather, calendar events, web stats, and other ambient data.
The Experience
Setup happens through their website where you can add plugins for weather, calendars, and dozens of other services. The open-source ecosystem means techies can build custom plugins, but it works great out of the box for everyone else.
The hardware feels solid with good build quality. The battery lasts 1-3 months since e-ink only uses power when the display changes. You can wall mount it with command strips or use the included stand.
Why It Works
At $140, TRMNL avoids the subscription trap that plagues other smart displays. The plugins are free forever, and the company makes money through device sales rather than monthly fees. There’s also an option for a slightly larger battery for $10 extra.
The development community appears active and committed for the long haul—a refreshing change from products that get discontinued after a year or two.
The Real Appeal
TRMNL succeeds because it knows what it isn’t. It’s not trying to grab your attention or pull you into endless scrolling. In a world of notification chaos, having a device that simply informs without intruding feels almost radical.
If you’re interested, you can use promo code “techdc” for $15 off. I’ll get $5 toward future TRMNL purchases if use that code. Thanks for helping me buy more of them!
Artificial intelligence is racing ahead—so fast that some experts say we’re living through the most important tech shift since electricity. But where’s it all going?
Right now, there are two main visions of the future:
The Optimists – Leaders like Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic) see AI as a game-changer for productivity, healthcare, and science. They predict tools that will help us work faster, solve complex problems, and maybe even extend human lifespans.
The Pessimists – Others, like Geoffrey Hinton (the “Godfather of AI”) and Yann LeCun (Meta), warn we might be going too fast given that we don’t fully understand what we’ve created and how it works. Hinton even gives a 10–20% chance that advanced AI could pose an existential risk.
What’s on the Line?
Jobs: Most expect some degree of job losses. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic has warned that AI technology could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar positions within the next five years. The prediction suggests unemployment could reach 10-20% as AI systems transition from augmenting human work to replacing it entirely.
The Economy: AI might spark massive productivity growth for companies. But who benefits? That’s why people are now seriously discussing things like Universal Basic Income (UBI) to help distribute gains fairly.
Global Competition: The U.S. and China are locked in an AI arms race. Some experts are calling for international agreements—like we have for nuclear weapons—to slow things down and focus on safety.
Daily Life: AI is becoming your assistant, tutor, creative partner, and even your co-worker. But there are risks too: misinformation, deepfakes, a reliance on machines to think for us, and humans becoming more disconnected from each other.
So What Now?
Even the most bullish tech leaders agree: we need to be thoughtful. That means building systems we can trust, creating smart policy, and helping people adapt.
At TechDC, I help individuals and small businesses learn how to actually use AI in real life. If you’re curious, reach out.
Further Reading
AI 2027 scenarios – a glimpse into possible futures, from arms races to slowdowns
