Tag: Apple

Beyond the Screen: Why Smart Glasses Will Eclipse Smartphones

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn AI, TechLeave a comment

Did you feel the buzz around the new iPhone 16E launch? Neither did most people. Gone are the days of overnight lines outside Apple Stores, applause echoing as early adopters unboxed the latest iDevice. These days, iPhone updates feel more like software patches than technological revolutions.

So what happened? Has Apple lost its innovative touch, or is the entire smartphone industry running on fumes?

Despite improvements like foldable displays, better cameras, and premium finishes, smartphones simply don’t excite us like they used to. And maybe that’s okay. Many users now prioritize reliability over novelty. In the words of Steve Jobs, devices should “just work.”

Smartphones have matured. They’re not just phones anymore—they’re mini-computers, cameras, GPS systems, wallets, and more. The real magic lies in the services they support: Uber, Google Pay, Apple Wallet. They don’t just have NFC or GPS; they unlock entire ecosystems.

There are 7.5 billion active smartphones globally. That’s more than enough to raise the question: what could possibly come next? Are we destined to stare at little screens for another hundred years?

What Made Smartphones So Ubiquitous?

To guess what might replace smartphones, it’s essential to understand why they succeeded in the first place. The smartphone’s rise came down to three traits:

  1. Functionality consolidation: It absorbed dozens of devices and tools.
  2. Always-on presence: It’s with us 24/7.
  3. Innovation enabler: It created new industries and habits.

When the iPhone debuted in 2007, it wasn’t just a phone. It was an iPod, a web browser, and a cellular device—all in one sleek package. Over time, it quietly absorbed cameras, alarm clocks, calculators, maps, radios, handheld gaming consoles, and even keys.

Apps turned it into a scanner, a pedometer, a banking terminal, a photo studio, and a shopping mall. Paper maps, boarding passes, cash, physical tickets, even house keys—gone or going.

Its impact wasn’t just in hardware absorption. It also shifted our habits. Bank transfers, food delivery, fitness tracking, social networking—all moved to mobile.

The Power of Being Always On

A big reason for the smartphone’s dominance is that it’s always on, always connected. Unlike landlines or desktops, we never truly put them away. Whether we’re waiting in line or killing time, the smartphone is always our companion.

This always-on nature is what makes smartphones so effective—and so addictive. In contrast, VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, while impressive, demand a level of immersion and isolation that doesn’t fit with day-to-day life. You can’t walk down the street in a headset. You can’t wear it while driving or chatting with friends.

Innovation as a Platform

The iPhone didn’t just change what we do—it changed what we could build. Entire industries were born because the smartphone existed: Uber, TikTok, DoorDash, Duolingo. All of them rely on GPS, real-time data, and mobile apps. The smartphone turned into the ultimate innovation platform.

Any device that wants to replace it must not just compete with its features but offer a similar platform for new ideas.

So, What’s Next?

What device can be always with us, absorb other functions, and power new innovations?

Enter: Mixed Reality Smart Glasses (MRSG).

Not to be confused with clunky VR headsets or gimmicky audio glasses, MRSG are sleek, everyday-looking glasses that blend the digital and physical worlds. They project information onto transparent lenses, integrating the real world with digital overlays.

The Case for Smart Glasses

Unlike phones, which make us look down at small screens, smart glasses offer a heads-up experience. No more hunching over; instead, information is available in your field of view. Think navigation directions that appear while you walk. Notifications that float beside your real-world surroundings. Real-time translation or facial recognition.

Technologies being developed for MRSG include:

  • Micro-LED or OLED projectors
  • Waveguide displays that embed digital images into your line of sight
  • Laser projection systems that beam images directly to your retina

Companies like Meta are already prototyping these devices, aiming for glasses that combine power, comfort, and everyday utility.

MRSG won’t be worn 24/7 (at least not initially), but they have the potential to meet the three criteria that smartphones fulfilled so well:

  • Absorb multiple functionalities
  • Remain passively present and always accessible
  • Unlock new services and industries

The Post-Smartphone World

Smartphones were never perfect. They cause eye strain, bad posture, social isolation. Smart glasses could solve these problems while offering even deeper integration with our digital lives.

We might not be there yet, but the writing is on the wall. As display tech improves and use cases expand, MRSG could very well be the next big shift in personal computing.

The smartphone changed the world by pulling dozens of devices into one. Smart glasses might just change it again by pulling that screen off your hand—and into your world.

When will Apple enter crypto?

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn crypto, Fintech, Mobile paymentsLeave a comment

More big names are in crypto these days, including the US government Recently Joe Biden signed an executive order on crypto, aimed at advancing the “U.S. competitiveness and leadership” in digital assets and crypto ecosystem. But, as Derick David writes at Forbes, the one big name a good number of the crypto community are waiting for is – Apple!

Apple has been extremely quiet about crypto. The last time we heard anything from the company was in 2019 when Apple Pay’s VP Jennifer Bailey said the company was “watching cryptocurrency” and strongly believes it has “interesting long-term potential.” In February 2020 it hired Warner Music’s former head of technology innovation, to work on blockchain projects for digital assets, and in November 2021 Tim Cook told the new York Times that Apple was looking into the possibility of accepting crypto through Apple Pay. But since then we’ve heard nothing.

Instead, Apple Pay launched a new feature in February 2022. This allows retailers to use their iPhones to accept instant payments and is called Tap to Pay. It could be used for crypto, but it isn’t.

However, there was one interesting development in March this year: Metamask, one of the most used crypto wallets, announced its support for Apple Pay so people can buy crypto directly from their wallets. Derick David points out that at the same time as this announcement, Apple advertised for new legal counsel “with expertise and experience on blockchain, digital assets, and payment platforms.”

Around the same time, Apple acquired Credit Kudos, a UK-based fintech startup, bringing a range of payment functions in-house. This gives Apple the potential to offer a crypto service that would enable people to buy products, save or invest money, and pay their bills with crypto or fiat – if Apple chooses to adopt crypto! The combination of Credit Kudos and Apple Pay could “help billions of users have a frictionless banking and payment experience,” as Derick David says.

Why is the crypto community so anxious for Apple to come on board? It’s simple really. Apple is in a unique and powerful position to best support crypto. It has over one billion active iPhone users and fans of the brand follow “their software and hardware ecosystem and hundreds of thousands of people wait in excitement for their Keynote events and product releases.”

The Apple ecosystem could supercharge crypto adoption, simply because it would offer seamless integration through their products, a global reach, and a cult-like following.

It is still keeping quiet for now, but when it does decide to make a crypto move, expect big, big positive changes for crypto.

Google spanks naughty app developers

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn appsLeave a comment

If you have an app on the Google Play Store, and that app provides for in-app purchases, watch out, because the Big G is coming after you.

Currently, under Google’s rules, if you provide in-app purchases, you must use the Google Play Store’s billing services, which basically means that Google keeps around 30% of your revenue.

This is nothing new. It has always been the case. However, a number of developers have decided to ignore this rule and Google is not pleased. So, it plans to reinforce it. Apple is taking similar measures, so the news for developers is not good.

In response, a coalition of app publishers, such as Spotify, Epic Games and Basecamp, “have announced the creation of the “Coalition for App Fairness,” which hopes to more fair arrangements between app stores and publishers,” Johan Moreno reports. The new organization formalises efforts the companies already have underway that focus on either forcing app store providers to change their policies, or ultimately forcing the app stores into regulation. You can find out more on the coalition’s website, where the group details its key issues, including anti-competitive practices, such as the app stores’ 30% commission structure, and the inability to distribute software to billions of Apple devices through any other means but the App Store. The group sees this as an affront to personal freedom.

They just happen to be some of the developers that have been thwarting Google’s fee rule, according to Bloomberg. They have managed to do this, “by mandating that users sign up for services (and pay) through the app’s website, which avoids the need for in-app purchases.”

The problem for Google is Android’s open nature. It allows users to download third-party apps, whereas Apple has a closed app ecosystem. As Moreno says, “on some Android devices, there may be a third-party app store, operating completely without the guidance of Google.”

App developers may continue to circumvent Google by creating and popularising, “a third-party app marketplace that can be loaded onto Android that may provide more fair terms for developers.”

Who Will Kill Bitcoin?

On By mehranmuslimiblogIn Bitcoin, cryptoLeave a comment

We are apparently living in an unprecedented time, although of course we aren’t; there have been plagues before this one. The only difference is that we are living through this is in an age of technology.

We know who the global tech giants are:They are Google, Facebook and Apple, and they all need to build their revenue. Amazon is excluded from the list, because it has already seen a massive growth in traffic and purchases, as consumers confined to their homes need to have stuff delivered.

 

One way in which the three tech giants could pursue rapid growth is by entering the financial services sector, something they have dipped their toes into, but have never embraced wholeheartedly. However, they face a challenge, and as Billy Bambrough, one of the expert cryptocurrency analysts I follow writes, while Google et al have been waiting around, “bitcoin has gained ground.”

What are Google and Facebook’s weak points?

 

As Bambrough says, these two companies have relied on ad revenue, but he believes that this is going to be squeezed hard by regulators in the post-virus world. In an earlier article, he wrote that the world will likely be looking for alternatives, and quotes the CEO of the blockchain-based privacy browser Brave, who believes Google “is going to be taken apart over coming years.”

Apple loses its grip

 

Apple has seen sales of its big money maker, the iPhone, decline. The reason being that less expensive phones have improved in quality, and improvements to the iPhone have not proved to be enough to really enthuse the consumer. Add to this the economic effects of the coming global recession and it is easy to see that those who might once have splashed out nearly $1000 on a new iPhne, may opt, indeed will have to opt, for cheaper models that effectively do the same job.

Google is apparently looking into launching a smart debit card, and Apple has already debuted a credit card, while Facebook is still moving ahead with its Libra stablecoin project that caused such a stir last year. It hoped to displace bitcoin as a leading cryptocurrency, but has clearly been foiled in its efforts.

 

Bitcoin offers stability

Meanwhile bitcoin, which has no tech company, government or central bank behind it lives on. And as Bambrough points out, it doesn’t even have an advertising budget, never mind a CEO. As he says, “Bitcoin, maintained by an evolving and decentralized network and beholden only to the mathematical principles that underpin it, is stability without authority.”

 

Google et al by contrast are deeply centralised, and so will any financial products they unleash on the market. They will never get away from that, whereas bitcoin continues to represent the antithesis of Silicon Valley capitalism. That’s why the big tech companies main option now is to kill it! But who will do it?