In recent months, a silent change has taken shape through Silicon Valley. Some of the most powerful voices of technology float a vision of the future that has excluded the very device that has defined the digital era for more than a decade: the smartphone. For Elon Musk,, Mark Zuckerberg,, Sam AltmanAnd Bill GatesThe next wave of innovation does not imply a more elegant phone – it replaces it completely.
Each of them supports different technologies that promise to Make the smartphones obsolete. From brain implants digital tattoos and augmented reality Glasses, their ambitions suggest a world where humans interact with devices not by touch screens, but directly by thought, vision or even skin. It is a radical rupture of the present – one everyone is not ready to kiss.
Neuronal links and digital tattoos
Elon MuskThe founder of Neuraladvances the concept of brain interfaceswhich allow users to communicate with the machines using only their thoughts. According to the company, two human subjects have already received implants. The goal is to completely delete the need for physical interaction with devices – no tapping, no scanning, not even to speak. Instead, thought would lead action.
Bill Gates defends another type of interface. He supports Chaotic moonA company based in Texas developing electronic tattoos. These devices, used directly on the skinare designed to collect and transmit data via nanocappters. Their applications range from Health monitoring to communication and geolocation. Tattoos effectively transform the body into a digital platform, without the need for portable devices.
IT vision focused on vision
Meta- general manager, Mark Zuckerbergplace his future on augmented realityY glasses. He predicts that by 2030, these glasses will take over as the main computer deviceReplacement of the smartphone. The concept consists in superimposing digital content directly on the scope of a user of vision.
Instead of looking at a screen, people experience notifications, navigation tools and communication features thanks displays focused on their faces. This strategy aligns with The wider ambitions of Zuckerberg in the AR and Metaverse space. The objective, he said, is to “go beyond screens” and redefine the way people engage with the Internet and each other.
Apple’s alternative path
While the competitors turned to revolutionary technology, Apple CEO, Tim Cooksticks to what works. The company recently published the iPhone 16, a device that incorporates advanced artificial intelligence To improve conviviality but maintains the familiar form factor. Cook continues to focus on refinement on reinvention, arguing that smartphones remain at the heart of everyday life.
Apple’s strategy focuses on increasing innovationGradually improve existing products while introducing new technologies like AR and AI. Cook’s philosophy diverges from his peers in that he considers the smartphone not something to replace, but like a nucleus platform To rely on. “We are committed to improving what people already use,” said Cook in public remarks, promoting evolution in relation to disturbances.
This growing fracture represents more than product design – it is a split in reflection on how humans should interface with technology. Musk, Zuckerberg, Altman and Gates make daring transformations which integrate technology into the body or integrate it transparently into our environment. Apple, on the other hand, strengthens the role of the smartphone by adapting it to emerging requests without modifying its heart.