What will happen to smartphones?
Smart eyewear, AI companions, and brain chips Smart glasses have potential for the future beyond smartphones.
Many have attempted to "kill" the smartphone, but none have been successful thus far. Since Apple's historic speech introducing the iPhone in 2007, cellphones have developed to become more powerful and integrated into our daily lives. Many people consider their smartphone to be their personal computer, as it is always with them and the only computing device they own.
Today, it appears that cellphones have hit their pinnacle. Every major manufacturer has adopted the same basic design: a rectangular slab of glass, metal, or plastic with cameras on both sides and buttons around the borders. The majority of advances are now incremental rather than revolutionary, such as larger batteries, quicker CPUs, and improved cameras. The distance between actual innovations continues to widen.
This stalemate has prompted inventors to look for the "next big thing" and wonder if there's a way to disrupt the status quo with a gadget that might completely replace the smartphone. Many people attempted. At best, their creations, such as smartwatches, served as accessories or companions to smartphones rather than actual replacements. At worst, these alleged "smartphone killers" were rendered obsolete by the smartphones they tried to replace.
Despite several failures, the idea of delivering a new technology that has had the same impact as cellphones nearly two decades ago remains alive.
AI Companion Devices
The advent of generative AI and AI chatbots such as ChatGPT provided a chance to experiment with something new — a new form of personal gadget accompanied (and occasionally just by) an AI helper. Startups immediately arose to accomplish just that. Notable instances here are the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1. Both offered to be your AI friend, free of the constraints of the smartphone. There was talk, and even some excitement, but both failed to meet expectations after their debut.
In retrospect, these gadgets attempted to capitalize on the "ChatGPT moment" and the massive flood of attention and money coming into AI businesses in 2023. They offered nothing to persuade people to abandon their smartphones. They were either a wrapper for ChatGPT, as in the case of Humane AI Pin, or missing features that everyone expects to find on their smartphones, as in the case of Rabbit R1.
The fantasy of a specialized AI companion gadget persists. There is Friend, which promises to start distributing its AI companion necklaces shortly. Most importantly, OpenAI has announced its own foray into the space.
Rumors regarding OpenAI developing a hardware device have been circulating for some time, and Jony Ive's recent hiring verified them. Although neither Sam Altman nor Jony Ive has openly stated what the gadget would look like, there have been a few leaks.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple supply chain expert, the current prototype is somewhat larger than the AI Pin, but has the same tiny and beautiful form factor as the iPod Shuffle. The gadget will apparently not have a screen and will be worn as a necklace, with microphones for voice control and cameras to record the user's surroundings. Of course, these are early reports, and a lot may happen before the device is formally introduced—perhaps as soon as late next year.
Sam Altman allegedly told OpenAI staff that this gadget had the "chance to do the biggest thing we've ever done as a company here" and has the ability to increase OpenAI's worth by $1 trillion. He envisions a future in which 100 million AI "companions" are shipped and serve as the third fundamental item on a person's desk, alongside a MacBook and an iPhone.
It remains to be seen whether Jony Ive can perform his "magic" again and produce another immensely popular product on the magnitude of an iPod or an iPhone, or if this new item will follow Humane AI Pin on the list of dead ideas.
OpenAI has the benefit of being OpenAI — a household name synonymous with artificial intelligence — as well as the billions of dollars left over from training and operating enormous AI models to spend on research and development. I am confident that anything OpenAI reveals will be sleek, futuristic, and attention-grabbing. But it will face the same obstacles as the others. Will it be helpful outside of the contemporary San Francisco studio, in a noisy and chaotic environment? Will it continually listen, creating concerns about privacy? Will the initial users be shunned for wearing the gadget because of bad connections with AI or OpenAI, as with Google Glass before it?
Smart glasses
While some firms strive to create the ideal AI companion, others are striving to realize another long-held sci-fi dream: smart spectacles. These technologies try to superimpose digital information directly onto our perception of the actual world, offering a seamless integration of reality and technology.
As with any new technology, the early attempts did not go well. The most noteworthy failure was Google Glass. Google Glass, which cost $1,500 when it was released in 2013, had limited functionality and soon raised privacy issues owing to its built-in camera. The invention sparked popular outrage, with early users nicknamed "glassholes" and even barred from pubs, movies, and other public areas. By 2015, Google had removed the gadget from the consumer market, focusing it on specialized sectors rather than general use.
Now, more than a decade after Google Glass failed, the company is trying again, this time with Android XR and Gemini. At Google I/O 2025, Google unveiled its new vision for smart spectacles powered by Gemini. And Google isn't alone. Meta offers AI glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban and is working on the next generation of smart glasses with Project Orion. Snap has Spectacles, while Apple is said to release smart glasses around 2026.
This new generation of smart glasses has learned from Google Glass' mistakes and adopted more traditional, stylish styles. Google and Meta are collaborating with recognized eyewear firms like Gentle Monster, Warby Parker, and Ray-Ban to develop products that people will really want to wear. Thanks to breakthroughs in multimodal AI, which can handle both pictures and sounds, today's smart glasses provide functionalities that were only a decade ago unattainable.
However, adoption remains low. The smart glasses sector is still in its early stages, and the iPhone has yet to be released. It is also having difficulties with pricing, privacy, and demonstrating everyday utility. The anticipated Apple glasses may finally tip the needle, but actual general adoption might take years of technology improvement and greater societal acceptability.
The ideal personal computer
Let us now speculate on what may follow after wearables, smart eyewear, and AI companions. If technology has already advanced from our pockets to our wrists and faces, what happens when it is connected directly to our brains? Welcome to the world of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), neural implants, and other notions that seem like science fiction but are gradually becoming reality.
The premise behind BCIs is straightforward: allow direct connection between the human brain and computers. In principle, a BCI may be the ultimate personal computer, capable of reading our thoughts, predicting our wants, and offering solutions before we even ask them. It may even enable new types of human interaction, such as the real-time exchange of emotions or bodily experiences.
While this may sound like science fiction, firms such as Neuralink, Synchron, and Kernel are striving to make it a reality. However, BCIs and brain implants are still in the development stage, and it may be decades before this vision is completely fulfilled. Check out my post, which names and explains the top BCI firms, for a more in-depth look at the key participants in this field.
Of course, these technologies generate as many questions as they solve. Safety, privacy, ethics, and societal acceptance are significant barriers. Would you trust a technology capable of reading your thoughts? How much control should businesses or governments have over such sensitive technology? And, as with previous attempts at wearable technology, the issue is whether consumers will want this level of integration or if these concepts will remain on the edges for years to come.
I don't believe smartphones will die anytime soon. For the time being, they are still the finest — and sometimes the only — personal computers available to the majority of people. However, as technology becomes more personal, new gadgets may develop that connect us to the digital world in deeper ways.
This unwavering need for closeness with our devices creates both intriguing potential and troubling issues. Will technology that is "closer" always be better, or will we get uncomfortable as the barrier between tool and self blurs? How much convenience are we prepared to sacrifice for privacy and autonomy? These are the questions we must all consider when we reflect on our connection with technology.
It's apparent that the evolution of personal technology is far from done. Whether the next great leap is something we wear, something that listens, or something we engage with on a neurological level, the path to genuinely personalize technology is just getting started. The future of personal technology may be closer than we realize, but whether we are prepared is a very different matter.
Sam Altman allegedly told OpenAI staff that this gadget had the "chance to do the biggest thing we've ever done as a company here" and has the ability to increase OpenAI's worth by $1 trillion. He envisions a future in which 100 million AI "companions" are shipped and serve as the third fundamental item on a person's desk, alongside a MacBook and an iPhone.
It remains to be seen whether Jony Ive can perform his "magic" again and produce another immensely popular product on the magnitude of an iPod or an iPhone, or if this new item will follow Humane AI Pin on the list of dead ideas.
OpenAI has the benefit of being OpenAI — a household name synonymous with artificial intelligence — as well as the billions of dollars left over from training and operating enormous AI models to spend on research and development. I am confident that anything OpenAI reveals will be sleek, futuristic, and attention-grabbing. But it will face the same obstacles as the others. Will it be helpful outside of the contemporary San Francisco studio, in a noisy and chaotic environment? Will it continually listen, creating concerns about privacy? Will the initial users be shunned for wearing the gadget because of bad connections with AI or OpenAI, as with Google Glass before it?
Smart glasses
While some firms strive to create the ideal AI companion, others are striving to realize another long-held sci-fi dream: smart spectacles. These technologies try to superimpose digital information directly onto our perception of the actual world, offering a seamless integration of reality and technology.
As with any new technology, the early attempts did not go well. The most noteworthy failure was Google Glass. Google Glass, which cost $1,500 when it was released in 2013, had limited functionality and soon raised privacy issues owing to its built-in camera. The invention sparked popular outrage, with early users nicknamed "glassholes" and even barred from pubs, movies, and other public areas. By 2015, Google had removed the gadget from the consumer market, focusing it on specialized sectors rather than general use.
Now, more than a decade after Google Glass failed, the company is trying again, this time with Android XR and Gemini. At Google I/O 2025, Google unveiled its new vision for smart spectacles powered by Gemini. And Google isn't alone. Meta offers AI glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban and is working on the next generation of smart glasses with Project Orion. Snap has Spectacles, while Apple is said to release smart glasses around 2026.
This new generation of smart glasses has learned from Google Glass' mistakes and adopted more traditional, stylish styles. Google and Meta are collaborating with recognized eyewear firms like Gentle Monster, Warby Parker, and Ray-Ban to develop products that people will really want to wear. Thanks to breakthroughs in multimodal AI, which can handle both pictures and sounds, today's smart glasses provide functionalities that were only a decade ago unattainable.
However, adoption remains low. The smart glasses sector is still in its early stages, and the iPhone has yet to be released. It is also having difficulties with pricing, privacy, and demonstrating everyday utility. The anticipated Apple glasses may finally tip the needle, but actual general adoption might take years of technology improvement and greater societal acceptability.
The ideal personal computer
Let us now speculate on what may follow after wearables, smart eyewear, and AI companions. If technology has already advanced from our pockets to our wrists and faces, what happens when it is connected directly to our brains? Welcome to the world of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), neural implants, and other notions that seem like science fiction but are gradually becoming reality.
The premise behind BCIs is straightforward: allow direct connection between the human brain and computers. In principle, a BCI may be the ultimate personal computer, capable of reading our thoughts, predicting our wants, and offering solutions before we even ask them. It may even enable new types of human interaction, such as the real-time exchange of emotions or bodily experiences.
While this may sound like science fiction, firms such as Neuralink, Synchron, and Kernel are striving to make it a reality. However, BCIs and brain implants are still in the development stage, and it may be decades before this vision is completely fulfilled. Check out my post, which names and explains the top BCI firms, for a more in-depth look at the key participants in this field.
Of course, these technologies generate as many questions as they solve. Safety, privacy, ethics, and societal acceptance are significant barriers. Would you trust a technology capable of reading your thoughts? How much control should businesses or governments have over such sensitive technology? And, as with previous attempts at wearable technology, the issue is whether consumers will want this level of integration or if these concepts will remain on the edges for years to come.
I don't believe smartphones will die anytime soon. For the time being, they are still the finest — and sometimes the only — personal computers available to the majority of people. However, as technology becomes more personal, new gadgets may develop that connect us to the digital world in deeper ways.
This unwavering need for closeness with our devices creates both intriguing potential and troubling issues. Will technology that is "closer" always be better, or will we get uncomfortable as the barrier between tool and self blurs? How much convenience are we prepared to sacrifice for privacy and autonomy? These are the questions we must all consider when we reflect on our connection with technology.
It's apparent that the evolution of personal technology is far from done. Whether the next great leap is something we wear, something that listens, or something we engage with on a neurological level, the path to genuinely personalize technology is just getting started. The future of personal technology may be closer than we realize, but whether we are prepared is a very different matter.