Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services at Apple, issued a stark prediction today concerning the future of the iPhone, suggesting it could mirror the decline of the iPod within a decade. The driving force for this potential shift? Artificial intelligence.
Cue made these comments during the ongoing trial regarding Google Search antitrust remedies, emphasizing AI’s capacity to transform the technology landscape and facilitate the emergence of new competitors.
“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,” Cue stated.
Furthermore, Cue emphasized that one of Apple’s most audacious decisions was discontinuing the iPod, a move he characterized as courageous. “Why would you kill the golden goose,” he remarked.
Although it might seem counterintuitive for a company reliant on iPhone sales for over half its revenue to make such claims, Cue views AI as a significant technological transformation that has the potential to dispel long-held industry giants. Reflecting on his experiences in Silicon Valley, he noted that many once-prominent corporations, such as HP, Sun Microsystems, and Intel, have either vanished or diminished significantly in influence.
Some companies have ventured to replace smartphones with AI-driven alternatives, although these early attempts have not yet found success. Innovations, such as Meta AI in Ray-Ban glasses, aimed to connect users with AI in ways separate from traditional smartphones. Apple is rumored to be developing similar offerings that would enable AI interaction through supplementary devices, including smartwatches, future iterations of AirPods, and potentially smart glasses.
