The Fifth Column Is Apple Still Apple? #550 (w/ David Pogue)
14 snips
Mar 26, 2026 
David Pogue, longtime tech columnist and author of Apple: The First 50 Years, joins to unpack Apple’s secret history and future. He traces the Newton’s rescue role, Project Titan’s $10 billion car gamble, Apple’s pivot into medical sensing, deep ties with China, and its privacy-first AI approach. Quick, lively takes on Vision Pro, supply-chain realities, and why Apple still has runway.
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Why The Apple Car Became A $10B Heartbreak
- Project Titan exemplified Apple's appetite for perfection that can stall products: they swung for fully autonomous level five and never set firm deadlines.
- After $10B, 1,200 hires and many patents, Apple canceled the car in 2024 rather than ship an imperfect compromise.
Apple's Unchanged Mission And Medical Pivot
- Apple's mission hasn't changed: bring advanced technology to everyday people, and that's still shaping product choices under Tim Cook.
- That mission now includes medical sensing: Apple devices detect atrial fibrillation, Parkinson's signs, and heart metrics via AirPods.
Apple Made China And China Made Apple
- Apple helped build China's manufacturing ecosystem and in turn China enabled Apple's scale, but US manufacturing decline predates Apple.
- Tim Cook notes the U.S. lacks tool-and-die capacity and manpower that China fields by the stadium-full.
