Apple's Former Design Chief Jony Ive Called Phones And Laptops 'Legacy Platforms:' Sundar Pichai Says Pulling Out A 'Black Glass Display Rectangle' Won't Make Sense Forever

As tech's most influential minds rethink the future of computing, their vision faces a market still not sold on the alternatives.

What Happened: Last week, in a video, Jony Ive, Apple Inc.'s AAPL legendary former design chief, described smartphones and laptops as "legacy products," suggesting they no longer represent the future of computing.

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL CEO Sundar Pichai echoed the sentiment in an interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel that was published on Tuesday, noting, "At some point in the future, consuming content by pulling out this black glass display rectangle… is not the most intuitive way to do it."

Pichai acknowledged that computing will evolve to be more ambient and fluid, available "in multiple ways around you," from tablets to smart glasses. "It makes sense," he said, "but I think it's going to take some time."

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Why It’s Important: While tech leaders envision a post-smartphone world, consumers aren't rushing to embrace the hardware pitched to replace it. Some attempts to disrupt the status quo have stumbled.

Humane's AI Pin promised a phone-free future but flopped amid harsh reviews, overheating issues, and low sales, ultimately leading to the company's acquisition by HP Inc. HPQ.

Similarly, Rabbit's R1 generated buzz but remained niche, offering limited functionality versus existing smartphones.

AR/VR headsets like Apple's Vision Pro and Meta Platforms, Inc.'s META Quest are advancing, yet still face challenges such as high costs, limited use cases, and physical discomfort.

Even stylish options like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses haven't broken into the mainstream due to privacy concerns and a lack of compelling features.

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