There are no more major innovations |
Smartphones are the new clock radio
I have to admit I was skeptical when Apple announced its intention to become more sustainable in recent years.
I thought the promise to stop using child-mined rare earths was greenwashing, nothing more than a PR move. Not delivering power adapters with the iPhone looked like a disguised cost-cutting measure to me.
Apple boss Tim Cook has now proven how seriously he takes sustainability with the iPhone 14: The device is 100 euros more expensive, but only offers a new name and recycled technology from last year. There is no clearer way to say to your customers: Consume less, you don’t need a new iPhone every year!
And who better to judge that than Tim Cook? The Apple boss not only sees the current devices, he also knows what is being researched, what developments are pending, what innovations are possible in the next few years. He knows: The story of the smartphone has been told!
Mobile phones have thus achieved the status of clock radios. There are no longer any major innovations, the devices only differ in colour, shape and price – in the end they all do more or less the same thing.
Anticipation is no longer worthwhile
That’s a shame for us tech freaks. The next groundbreaking novelty is not in sight. Sorry, Metaverse, AR and VR (Augmented and Virtual Reality), even if you would like to be: No, you are not.
And the times when you could look forward to the presentation of the next generation of smartphones seem to be over for good. It’s no longer worth waiting in anticipation to see what magical new features the next phone will bring. The changes will be cosmetic at best.
The development is less of a pity for us as customers. We no longer have to think every year whether we need the next smartphone, where we will get the money for it or when the contract upgrade is due. From now on you buy a new mobile phone when the old one breaks and can no longer be repaired in an economically viable way.
Nevertheless: As a tech freak, this situation, which is good for the environment and for my wallet, leaves me a bit sad.
This article comes from BILD am SONNTAG. The ePaper of the entire issue is available here.