Apple Services chief Eddy Cue says AI will replace iPhone by 2035
Ever since Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, the world has not been the same. While there have been plenty of guesses about what will be the next big thing after the iPhone, no one knows for sure. Most believe that smart glasses with Augmented Reality features will be next since such a device will continue giving users the same data that the iPhone provides them with via a screen that can be right in front of the user 24 hours a day.
Apple's senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, has another idea, which he expressed while on the stand testifying during Wednesday's Google Search antitrust remedies trial. Cue sees a possibility that the iPhone will be killed off in 10 years because of AI. "Incumbents have a hard time ... we’re not an oil company, we’re not toothpaste — these are things that are going to last forever ... you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now," the executive said.
It seems hard to imagine that we would be living in a world that would have no reason for the iPhone to exist in 2035. Keep in mind that by 2035, the iPhone will have been around for 28 years. Cue says that the rise of AI is creating a huge technological shift that can force changes on tech companies that felt invincible.
Cue had some examples already cued up and ready to use. He mentioned once powerful Silicon Valley tech stalwarts like HP, Intel, and Sun Microsystems that "either don’t exist today or are significantly smaller and much less impactful." It would be foolish to think that just because a company is Apple of iPhone fame, the same thing can't happen to it. Some tech outfits have already tried to develop smartphone replacements using AI and one idea that seemed promising ended up getting shut down earlier this year.
The Humane AI Pin cost $699 and required a $24 monthly cell plan from T-Mobile. A laser projector in the device allowed users to use their hands as a display to read answers to queries sent to the AI Pin's AI assistant while also showing graphics, images, and messages. Despite what seemed to be a early take on a possible smartphone replacement device, the Humane AI Pin was created to go on sale now instead of waiting for the death of the smartphone.
The product was launched way too early and was still half-baked when released. In February, the device lost support from T-Mobile showing that while Eddy Cue might eventually be right, consumers are not yet ready to give up their smartphones. This might not be the case by 2035, but for now consumers would prefer to have a smartphone in their hands rather than an AI replacement.
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