Tim Cook on iPhone's Future: 'There's So Much Left That We Can Do'

[coolfactor]

And yet… I find the iPhone - and all smart phones - less critical in my life with each passing day. It’s like after all of these years of using all of their advanced functions, I’m back to texting and talking just like with a 90’s flip phone. Of course, I’m sure that I’m the outlier.

Yes, your age is showing. 🤣

Every day, my iPhone is (a) my alarm clock, (b) my timers, (c) my news source, (d) my telephone, (e) my text messenger, (f) my wallet, (g) my work timeclock, (h) my podcast player, (i) my music player, (j) my video media player, and (k) my maps and navigation assistant...

Gonna be very hard to "replace" it with something else. Extending it with new capabilities and peripherals is the next big thing.

 

[coolfactor]

ok...outside of adding a fold (which will be done by the end of the year), adding pencil support, thermal or night vision, an under the screen thumbprint sensor, under the screen camera, i dont see what else is left to do. Better cameras? Better screens? Better battery life? Reverse charging? (most of these things have been features for years on other brands). I dont see anything major you can do with a cell phone.

You've listed many features that the iPhone *doesn't* yet have, so that just proves Tim right. He's not necessarily talking about *new* inventions, but continuing to evolve the iPhone itself. Plenty of room to evolve.

Did you think your iPhone would be able to communicate with satellites 5 years ago?

 

[azentropy]

Start with making a sub 6 inch iPhone Pro.

 

[Luftkopf]

View attachment 2614899

You know those AI detectors are super unreliable.

You realise that Apple and Google are taking turns co-chairing the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, right?

So what? I’m supposed to get angry that Apple updates their library of emoji just because they sometimes co-chair the Unicode Consortium when they’re making new ones?

It’s all pretty irrelevant to me, as I dummy use emoji much. Not really a fan. It doesn’t bother me that other people like them though.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

With current technology. Once it’s in thin and lightweight glasses (and cheaper!), or even possibly (waaay off into the future) contact lenses, this will be a different story.

I don’t even know why anyone would think this.
You’re telling me, if you got a phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning, no matter what kind of phone call it is. Emergency, someone needing to talk, whatever, it would be more convenient to put in some contact lenses to answer it than pick up the phone?
I used the 3 AM example as a worst case scenario, but it goes for many others as well.
People are not going to want to keep contact lenses on their eyeballs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People are not going to want to keep glasses on their face 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

[SilmarilFinder]

So why you are not doing?

 

[gimmesomemo]

regardless of the interview, this article, I just want to make an observation.

"I interviewed Tim Cook (What he told me matters)"

Jesus, we're really scraping the barrel of human attention span and critical thinking aren't we?
I mean, isn't the world, political landscape, tech-oligarchy and widespread real world ******tification enough?

We really need to Mr Beast'ify every part of the remaining media?
Are we, collectively so stupid that we need to be force fed the exact description, along with added clickbait into every single title?

How did people possibly survive 10 years ago without this? Did we just all miss every important piece of information because the titles didn't try and real us in like some brainless fish?

how did people even know world war 2 started without headlines like "What Germany just did will blow your mind. (Make sure to read to the end to see what country they invaded)" but first, I need to tell you about Ground News

 

[TechRunner]

Such as a new small phone, right Timmy?
I really hope Apple have a Flip-phone coming.

I'm with you on this, but in a recent article here Apple stated they had no intention of building a flip-style phone. Could it still happen? Sure. But I've become skeptical that it will, especially if sales of their upcoming folding phone don't meet their expectations.

If they do build a flip it will be a day one purchase for me.

 

[Abazigal]

View attachment 2614899

Yeah, read too much like many a post I see on LinkedIn. The sentence structure is a dead giveaway.

 

[cjsuk]

The most important thing we should consider when someone says this is:

DONT DO TOO MUCH

Liquid Glass was a sign that "too much" is over the hill. Once people do too much it's ****ed quite frankly. You end up with Windows.

 

[-BigMac-]

With current technology. Once it’s in thin and lightweight glasses (and cheaper!), or even possibly (waaay off into the future) contact lenses, this will be a different story.

A true “Vision Pro” level contact lenses are likely 30/50 years off. Decades. If at all.

Basic AR overlay in contact lenses maybe 10-20 years.

It’s certainly not “surprising” that iPhone is still the core of Apple in the near future - unlike what the Article says

 

[tuckerjj]

I don’t even know why anyone would think this.
You’re telling me, if you got a phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning, no matter what kind of phone call it is. Emergency, someone needing to talk, whatever, it would be more convenient to put in some contact lenses to answer it than pick up the phone?
I used the 3 AM example as a worst case scenario, but it goes for many others as well.
People are not going to want to keep contact lenses on their eyeballs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People are not going to want to keep glasses on their face 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Do you really think the phone will be the primary UI device for the rest of time? Once AR glasses (again, thin, lightweight, affordable are key here) are available, do you think people will still want to walk around the streets with their heads buried in their phones?

A lot of people wouldn’t need computer monitors at their desks, or to carry around laptops anymore! Just a keyboard and trackpad.

If we could develop the technological capabilities (and admittedly it’s a huge if) to make contact lenses with displays in them, then surely we could make them comfortable too?

I remember when the Apple Watch came out and many people said “nobody wears watches anymore”. A lot more people do now! If there is enough utility and value in AR glasses more people will wear glasses too.

Also note that people didn’t stop using their phones because they had Apple Watches. I’m sure glasses would be the same for a long, long time (and would have to be as long as processing is done on the phone, as it surely would be in the beginning)

The future is a device ecosystem to cover our senses and provide access to computing and networking. We already have AirPods, Apple Watches and HomePods as accessories and alternative interfaces. I’m sure that glasses would also start off as accessories and you’d still need the phone. (Apple has recently acquired a silent speech-thought to text company so that could be another interface in the nearish future.)

Looking further into that future, if iPhone tech can be built into glasses, maybe that’s enough for some people. That 3am calls comes in and you don’t want to put on glasses, you could also answer it by speaking into the air to the nearest HomePod or popping an AirPod in. For those that prefer to hold a headset to their ear I’m sure such accessories will exist.

 

[chineseguy38]

Like processor and camera upgrade? Downgrade from aluminium to plastic? 😂

 

[MacBH928]

yes like TouchID , one thumb operational 4.7 inch display, and no notched screens. This thing will sell like crazy as an iphone mini!

 

[MacBH928]

Just think of all the emojis left to create.

and some seriously ugly ones too, even forums from late 2000s had better looking smilies (thats what they were called). The Samsung is ions better

 

[tuckerjj]

A true “Vision Pro” level contact lenses are likely 30/50 years off. Decades. If at all.

Basic AR overlay in contact lenses maybe 10-20 years.

It’s certainly not “surprising” that iPhone is still the core of Apple in the near future - unlike what the Article says

Perhaps I should have left out the point about contact lenses (which I’d say even at a basic level are at least 50 years away from being in a shipping product!) My main point was that Vision Pro was always a tech demo ahead of the real product which is thin, light, AR glasses. It was never supposed to sell large numbers (they could only make 400k/year) but lay the software groundwork for the glasses. Once those become a reality I do expect them to have a significant impact, initially as an accessory to the phone, but maybe a few decades later as a primary device.

 

[transpo1]

Would love to see it, but time and time again Apple has shown they will not cannibalise other product lines.

Maybe they’ll give us that in the Fold.

 

[transpo1]

Perhaps I should have left out the point about contact lenses (which I’d say even at a basic level are at least 50 years away from being in a shipping product!) My main point was that Vision Pro was always a tech demo ahead of the real product which is thin, light, AR glasses. It was never supposed to sell large numbers (they could only make 400k/year) but lay the software groundwork for the glasses. Once those become a reality I do expect them to have a significant impact, initially as an accessory to the phone, but maybe a few decades later as a primary device.

If they do the glasses right, they could be a massive hit. I’m very interested.

 

[bluecoast]

Just think of all the emojis left to create.

And we call it ‘Genmoji 2.0!’

 

[Ctrlos]

I still genuinely believe the Apple Watch is the communicator of the future with the new Siri making that one step closer to reality. The utter privacy failure of smart glasses proves that a device with a camera is not the answer people are looking for. They still have social media as well, making them a huge distraction.

If they can get an 18-hour battery with always-on 5G cracked then the Apple Watch has all the benefits of a smartphone (Comms, search, fitness, nav) but none of the addictive drawbacks (games, social media, ads) The screen is too small to comfortably use for lengthy periods which is a good thing and due to being strapped to your wrist it is also pretty much theft-proof.

The notification nudges can be easily ignored until you have the time to answer unlike a pop-up in front of your vision. Smart glasses are an utterly terrible idea given how distracting they will be. This is yet another classic case of silicon valley trying to find a different answer instead of asking a better question.

 

[iLuddite]

Oi. the 17 was clearly a downgrade. Ti>Al

So true. My 17 Pro Max is dented from dropping it while in its hard case; 16 Pro Max never had as much as a scratch if I recall correctly.

 

[clg82]

Which is why we're only going to do one or two changes per year, to milk our customers as much as possible

Don't forget that they will eventually "innovate" new technologies that other companies already have and Apple customers will eat it up like they always do. It's actually a microcosm of society these days, "If nobody else believes what I believe then their wrong!!!". I saw in Best Buy yesterday morning the new S26 Ultras built in privacy screen and it is truly pretty cool I give it 5 years before Apple "adopts" and "perfects" and "invents" it. There is so much cool Tech out there that Apple is lightyears behind on, don't get me started on Siri....

 

[wanha]

You literally copy and pasted GPT. Didn’t even try hide it.

There’s a level of nonchalance in there I want to achieve one day.

his reaction is to laugh at everyone who points out the AI generated comments.

My advice: click on the profile and then "ignore"

 

[MatrixfanMacuser]

Ahh, this “so much left” narrative sounds so uncool and cringe. This is not what I’d like to hear from an innovative leader, a visionary. It also communicates “we’re holding back to drip feed”. Yes, I admit, I miss Steve Jobs with all his bad traits. I’m just a customer, not the one who would have to put up with it.😂

 

[I7guy]

And yet… I find the iPhone - and all smart phones - less critical in my life with each passing day. It’s like after all of these years of using all of their advanced functions, I’m back to texting and talking just like with a 90’s flip phone. Of course, I’m sure that I’m the outlier.

You are the outlier I believe and as declared.. My iPhone and iPad have largely replaced my computer. Of course computer is still needed for some things.

I have to admit I rely on my iPad and iPhone for my digital life. I can exist without one but not both.