Pat Gelsinger and the Future of the PC

Intel’s Innovation conference was last week. Unlike Intel Vision, which lacked the “Vision” part (I really miss Intel’s old CTO Justin Rattner, who made it look like Intel was building magic), there was a lot of innovation at this event.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger — who I still believe has the best chance of making Intel a leader again — did an admirable job showcasing that Intel is stepping up. I had a chance to talk to Gelsinger after the keynote. I’ve always found him to be interesting, approachable, knowledgeable, and fun — rare qualities in a CEO.

I believe we are in the end days of the traditional PC and that it is due to evolve or be replaced by a smartphone derivative. Gelsinger is clearly on the “evolve” path as he discussed a very aggressive cadence for the next several generations of AI-enhanced PCs and servers.

One of my takeaways was that you might want to wait until mid-December to buy your next PC because that evolution will start with a new AI-enhanced processor and improved graphics that better embrace the AI future than what is currently in the market.

This week, let’s discuss what emerged from Intel Innovation 2023, and we’ll close with my Product of the Week: an “evolved” PC from HP that may be the perfect tool for either a sales rep or a CEO, the Spectre Foldable 3-in-1 PC, which is a sign of things to come.

Building the Six Million Dollar Man

There was a TV show that I enjoyed watching in the ‘70s called “The Six Million Dollar Man,” where an injured test pilot had several parts of his body replaced by robotic prosthetics that gave him superpowers. Yes, there was a spinoff called “The Bionic Woman,” but I didn’t identify with her quite as much.

Gelsinger presented a set of hearing aids that he used, which he later discussed with me, that use Intel technology to enable hearing-impaired folks to outperform those with natural hearing.

When listening to an audio or participating in a videoconference, the hearing aids do real-time translation and eliminate ambient noise. When someone approaches, they notify the user of a change. If the user wants to talk to that other person, they simply switch the audio from the event to that new person while the AI automatically transcribes what is occurring so that the user doesn’t miss any part of the call.

I think this is an early indicator of the next generation of prosthetics, replacement or enhancement parts that not only make up for the disability but create a better result than nature did, making the six-million-dollar-man thing even more possible. For those injured in war or service as first responders — who deserve our greatest support — prosthetics like this will be a game changer.

I expect similar AI technologies will be implemented in smart glasses and other prosthetics in the future.

Preventing E-Commerce Returns

Many retailers are cutting their return policies due to fraud. This is problematic for online clothing purchases because there has been no easy way to ensure the clothing will look right on us or fit, especially since sizes can vary greatly both internationally and within the same store.