Hey,
It’s Pete Matheson with a new issue of Experiments in Progress.
I just got back from Samsung Unpacked and MWC in Barcelona, and one of the most useful things after these events is stepping back and asking a simple question:
What direction is the industry actually moving in?
📊 7 Signals About Where Tech Is Going Next
Here are the signals I noticed this year:
1️⃣ Budget laptops are becoming surprisingly powerful
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the MacBook Neo especially after photographer Tyler Stalman tested it.
He opened every single app installed on the machine, then jumped into Final Cut Pro and edited a 4K timeline… all while everything else was still running.
And it handled it without any major issues.
For a laptop in that price range, that’s honestly impressive.
For a lot of people, machines like this are now more than capable enough for real work.
Source: YouTube
2️⃣ Apple still wins on efficiency
One thing that continues to stand out is how well Apple’s silicon handles heavy workloads.
On many Windows machines, opening dozens of apps quickly turns into a memory bottleneck.
Things slow down… or crash.
On modern Macs, it’s surprisingly difficult to make the system struggle.
That efficiency advantage still feels like Apple’s biggest long-term edge.
Source: YouTube
3️⃣ Chinese brands are now pushing innovation
At events like MWC, the companies experimenting the most aren’t always the big Western brands.
A good example: Honor showed a phone with a robotic flip-up gimbal camera.
Will something like that actually become mainstream? Hard to say.
But what’s clear is that a lot of experimentation is happening outside Apple and Samsung first, and then the larger companies take their time deciding which ideas are worth adopting.
Source: The Verge
4️⃣ Cameras are still improving faster than most people realize
Smartphone cameras continue to get better every year.
Between computational photography improvements, better sensors, and smarter processing, phones keep closing the gap with dedicated cameras.
For many people, their phone has already replaced every other camera they own.
And that trend isn’t slowing down.
Source: YouTube
5️⃣ Battery technology is quietly improving
One of the more interesting developments recently is silicon-carbon battery technology.
It allows for higher capacity in the same physical space, which means better battery life without making devices thicker.
We’re also seeing faster charging speeds becoming more common.
Battery improvements don’t get headlines like cameras or AI but they often end up being some of the most important upgrades.
6️⃣ Displays are entering another upgrade cycle
Display technology is also moving forward again.
We’re seeing tandem OLED panels, which allow for brighter screens, better contrast, and improved color accuracy.
Devices are also pushing higher brightness levels while maintaining efficiency.
It’s one of those upgrades that sounds small but once you use a better display, it’s hard to go back.
Source: Arzoba
7️⃣ Connectivity keeps getting faster
Finally, connectivity continues to improve across the board.
Wi-Fi speeds are increasing.
Internet connections are getting faster.
And multi-gig home networks are becoming more common.
At home, I’m now running a 2.5-gig connection, which would have felt ridiculous not that long ago.
As bandwidth improves, it quietly removes limits on what devices and services can do.
Devices are steadily getting better at everything. More power. Better screens. Longer battery life. Faster connections.
📱 Enjoying this newsletter? Share it with a friend who’s as obsessed with tech as you are:
In this week’s episode of Aspiring Creator, I talk about what actually happens behind the scenes at big tech events like MWC and Samsung Unpacked and why the creator economy isn’t as simple as it looks.
Why some creators get invited to big events (and others don’t)
Why brand deals aren’t landing like they used to
The hidden trap of chasing YouTube views
And why I’m pausing my website for now
🎧 New episodes every Wednesday