Where does the smartphone go from here? (Macworld/Jason Snell)
If there’s a constant in the run-up to the announcement of new iPhones, it’s probably theoretically tech-focused commentators complaining that the smartphone is boring. Occasionally that’ll be leavened with some “Apple has lost its way” nonsense, but the most common thesis is just that the smartphone, the most exciting invention of the past couple of decades, is now not very exciting.
Well, duh.
We’re in Year 15 of the iPhone now. After a few years of breathless innovations from Apple and its competitors, things have been moving incrementally for some time. That’s what happens with any mature product category, and not even the mighty smartphone can avoid becoming a little boring once it has found its ideal form.
But just because the pace of innovation has slowed doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the iPhone, and smartphones in general, to progress. There are several key areas with growth potential before the phone hands it off to whatever the next great tech product category might be.
