Well, smartphones, rather. Microsoft said it loud and clear recently, that the smartphones are dead. At least, in the traditional sense, as we know them.
It’s just that people have not realized it yet.
In fact, Microsoft executive, Alex Kipman, the creator of HoloLens, made a bold prediction earlier this year, forecasting that AR based devices would take over the phones:
“Smartphones are yesterday’s news, the phone is already dead, but people just haven’t realized.
The potential of these devices is that they could one day replace your phones, TVs, and all these screens. Once your apps, videos, information, and even social life are projected into your line of sight, you won’t need any other screen-based gadgetry.”
And while Microsoft may be close to bowing out of the mobile market by limiting its focus on new device launches, this is not the case with other companies. Apple, on the other hand, is currently all in on smartphones, with iPhone make up half of its success every quarter.
But that doesn’t mean one of Redmond’s immediate competitor is not looking ahead.
As reported, both companies are currently pursuing a strategy that puts the focus on smartglasses and other alternate reality devices. They are investing billions in AR projects, in the belief that they may replace smartphones altogether.
It has been rumored that Apple has taken a look at several prototypes of its upcoming headset, one of which featured a 3D camera without a display, using the iPhone screen instead. While another made use of its very own screen to overlay the AR content on the real world.
Looks like the Cupertino based company has chosen the second approach, as it looks for a future beyond the iPhone.
Luckily, Microsoft also has AR on top of its priorities list, and an early start here could allow the software giant a comeback in the mobile space — one where smartphones could be a thing of the past.
The demise of the smartphone may not happen anytime soon, but both technology titans aim to be ready for it when it does.
How do you see it? Are smartphones done? Is AR really the next big thing? Do you think it will start making waves this decade? Or only sometimes after 2020, if at all?
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