Smartphones existed before the iPhone, but when the iPhone came, it changed the game. That marked the relative death of feature phones (as people’s primary option), and the rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, we’ve seen different smartphone form factors, but the bar phone still reigns supreme.
This year, we saw releases like the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin attempt to be the next “iPhone”. Unfortunately, both of them were flops — it was pretty easy to see that coming. The drive to create the next big thing hasn’t stopped though, as ex-Apple designer Jony Ive is partnering with OpenAI to make something different.
Jony Ive And OpenAI Are Working Together To Create Some Kind Of AI-Centered Smart Device
When it comes to technology companies with executives who can be considered close to household names, there are very few. Steve Jobs is one, Elon Musk is another, and of course, there’s Bill Gates too. However, under the fame of those, you’ll find people like Jony Ive, who, as long as you’re a bit of an enthusiast in the space, is a name that you’ll recognize. He became so well known from his time at Apple.
Word from the man himself is that he’s currently working on a new device, along with OpenAI, and it sounds like it is going to be something very different from what we have today. We don’t know too much about it, but it will have a lot of AI magic built into it and I don’t think it’ll just be a smartphone with a lot more AI in it. Maybe something like the Rabbit R1, but hopefully better.
I Don’t Think The Masses Are Craving Anything Different At The Moment
If Jony Ive’s new creation is going to make waves, the consumers will need to see it as something that can make their lives easier on a daily basis — potentially on a comparable or greater level than their smartphones can. The thing is, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Sure, there are big names behind the project. Jony Ive is a legendary designer and a lot of people respect OpenAI for ChatGPT, but that likely won’t be enough.
From the way I see things, it seems like consumers already know what they want and they’re fine with things the way they are. With the level of influence that iOS and Android have on users, it’ll be hard to make something new to disrupt that. Perhaps it might have some hope if it is some kind of smart device that still runs on Android, but straying too far from what people are used to only seems to be a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
The Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 didn’t do well for a reason — they didn’t do anything better than your smartphone already can. Very few people feel the need for something different and it might be time for execs to understand that. I’m willing to be proven wrong.
