2023! Some thoughts on tech trends and Apple
EU regulatory pressures, the rise of generative AI, my favourite app of the year and what I'm most excited for in 2024.
Hello again! I took a break from writing this newsletter during last year's holidays, which unexpectedly turned into a year-long hiatus...oops. As I sit here post holidays and with the year wrapping up, I’ve jotted down a few of my thoughts on the year that was in the land of Apple and tech…
Apple Product Manager of the Year
Announcing the Apple product manager of the year: Margrethe Vestager.
Although Vestager isn't an Apple employee (she's the EU's Commissioner for Competition, for those unaware), she significantly impacted Apple's product roadmap in 2023. Apart from product/software launches, the two “biggest” Apple announcements of the year were brought about by impending regulatory oversight in Europe.
In September, after years of speculation, Apple switched the port on the iPhone 15 from its in-house Lightning adaptor to USB-C. This came not from strategy inside the doors of Cupertino but from the European Union plans to make USB-C connectors the standard charging port for all smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices sold across the bloc, an initiative that it says will reduce environmental waste.
In November, Apple announced plans to adopt RCS messaging, the newer standard used by most Android phones. Currently, when not messaging another iPhone user through iMessage, iPhones utilize SMS and MMS messaging to text with their Android counterparts. The change likely comes in response to regulatory pressure from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, a rule that requires major companies, such as Apple, to make their services interoperable with other platforms. Apple engineers are reportedly already working on building support for alternative app stores and side-loading functionality in order for the App Store to comply with the forthcoming EU regulations.
These changes aren't necessarily negative; adopting USB-C enables consumers to carry just one charger for all devices, while RCS facilitates better (high-resolution photos, group chats, etc.) and more secure texting between Android and Apple devices. But… let’s take a quick look at the negatives and precedent this causes…
The mandating of USB-C aimed at standardization and reduction in computer waste will potentially stifle innovation and do more harm than good in relation to e-waste in the short-term. Many consumers have built years-long collections of Lightning accessories that will now have to be thrown out in the coming years. Also, I am not a computer engineer, but you don’t have to be to realize that computers and ports will continue to get smaller. What happens in 5 years when someone wants to use a better connector? And why now and why USB-C? What if the EU decided to do this in say 2009? At this time Apple devices used the extremely chunky 30-pin adaptors, while other devices used incredibly slow micro-USB cables. Doing so would have likely stifled the innovation that allowed for the creation of lightning and USB-C standards.
While I may be more bearish on government regulation than some, I fundamentally don’t have an issue with it when the logic is sound and admit that regulation regarding big tech has been wholly lacking over the past decade and a half. What I have an issue with is regulation for the sake of saying you’ve “done regulation”, and how a European regulatory body is now dictating product strategy for major American tech companies. Ask yourself why nearly all the major tech companies are from North America and Asia…
Late to the Party
The resounding product of the year is ChatGPT. Large language models (LLMs) and their introduction to the wider public through chat interfaces have been the most important technological product this past year.
Other big tech companies have jumped into the party that OpenAI kicked off, with Microsoft partnering with the company to release their AI-powered Bing and Co-Pilot offerings, and Google playing catch-up with Bard and the recent release of their GPT-4 competitor Gemini.
Apple, not surprisingly, has been absent from the party thus far. This follows the usual Apple playbook of waiting for product kinks to be explored by others, before launching their entry into the category; portable music players, smartphones, tablets, and now headsets. It also makes sense given Apple’s concerns about the pitfalls associated with generative AI models, from bias to hallucinations/misinformation. However, AI (similar to autonomous driving, another area where Apple reportedly faces challenges) isn't just a hardware or software issue; it demands substantial investment and data access for learning, requiring time, not just engineering prowess.
Reportedly, the next version of iOS will focus on new AI features. In the summer, Apple built its own large language model called Ajax and rolled out an internal chatbot dubbed “Apple GPT” to test out the functionality. I am also sure Apple will put its usual privacy-focused mark on their generative AI product. Just last week, Apple AI researchers announced a key breakthrough in deploying LLMs on iPhones and other Apple devices with limited memory. Typically, LLMs require large amounts of compute and memory necessitating them to run in the cloud; running locally on an iPhone would be a win for keeping data secure on your device. Put a bookmark on this as a “to be continued”, story to watch in 2024.
My Favourite Tech “Thing” of the Year
My favourite tech item this year isn't a new device, but a new app called Retro. Like many, I miss the days of “old” Instagram, when the content was primarily generated by your friends rather than brands or creators, and when you could freely post photos on your feed without the social pressure of a perfectly edited vacation picture.
Retro aims to solve this. For those familiar with BeReal, the setup is similar. It’s private by default, and photos are only revealed once you post your own. However, Retro offers more permanence. You upload photos, which are then categorized by week. To unlock someone else’s weekly album, you must contribute to your own. Any photos older than four weeks are locked, and your friends need a private “key” to view them. It offers a fun way to share photos regularly and see what your friends are up to, free from the publicly performative norms now prevalent on Instagram.
What I’m Most Excited for in 2024
Apple Vision Pro, the first new hardware category from Apple since the Apple Watch, could arguably be the biggest shift in computing paradigms since the iPhone's launch.
While only launching in the US at first, I am eager to test it out, if only to fulfill my childhood dreams of being Tony Stark and swiping around at digital screens floating in my reality. The device is expected to hit Apple Store shelves in late January/early February.
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!