Zuckerberg, Musk And Altman Say Smartphones Are Coming To An End
In the past few months, the pronouncements from Meta's Zuckerberg, xAI's Musk, and OpenAI's Altman paint a picture straight out of science fiction. Zuckerberg is heavily invested in augmented reality (AR) glasses, envisioning a world where digital information seamlessly overlays our physical reality, making the handheld screen obsolete by 2030.

Yet, amidst this chorus for change, Tim Cook and Apple are striking a different chord. Cook's philosophy emphasizes refinement over revolution, asserting that the smartphone (such as the latest iPhone 16) remains a central and indispensable tool in daily life. Apple's strategy is one of evolutionary innovation, continuously enhancing existing products, and gradually integrating new technologies like AR and AI within the familiar smartphone platform.
This ideological difference represents more than just a product design debate; it’s a fundamental disagreement about how humans should interface with technology. While Musk, Zuckerberg, and Altman seek bold, transformative leaps that could redefine how we interact with the digital world, Apple is betting on the power of evolution and the continued importance of a device that billions have come to rely on.
Still, the battle for the future of personal technology has already begun, so will consumers readily embrace brain implants and digital tattoos, or will the comfortable familiarity and continuous improvement of the smartphone continue to rule the roost?