Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg think smartphones are on their way out. Tim Cook says they’re just getting better

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg think smartphones are on their way out. Tim Cook says they’re just getting better

Cell phones really took off in the 1990s, and over the early to mid-2000s, they slowly started turning into the smartphones we know today. But things really took off after 2007, when smartphones became the new standard. Now, almost twenty years later, it makes you wonder: what’s next? Are we approaching the end of the smartphone era, and what could possibly replace them? Interestingly, three big tech leaders have totally different takes on where things are headed.

Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for 2030

Let’s start with Mark Zuckerberg and his take on augmented reality (AR). At Meta’s 2024 Connect event, he showed off the Orion AR glasses prototype, a device meant to replace smartphones by letting you use 3D holograms, control apps, chat, and navigate using just your voice, eye movements, and gestures. Meta plans to launch Orion around 2027 and has poured over $80 billion into AR and VR tech since 2014.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg think smartphones are on their way out. Tim Cook says they’re just getting better

Orion AR glassesSource: meta.com

For now, Meta’s got the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which don’t have a screen but come with a 12MP camera, built-in speakers, and Meta’s AI assistant for hands-free messaging, translation, and more. These glasses are part of Meta’s bigger goal to bring augmented reality into everyday life. Zuckerberg sees AR glasses as the next big thing in tech, predicting they’ll replace our main devices by 2030.

Elon Musk wants to replace your phone with your brain

For Elon Musk, phones and smartwatches have been old news since 2020. The real future, in his eyes, is Neuralink – a company he founded in 2016. Neuralink is developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that could eventually replace smartphones. Their implants let you control tech using only your thoughts, with no need for screens or buttons.

By early 2025, two people had already received the implant, showing the potential of the tech. At first, Neuralink is focused on helping people with paralysis or brain injuries regain movement or senses. But Musk’s long-term vision includes wild ideas like telepathy, memory upgrades, and even merging AI with the human brain.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg think smartphones are on their way out. Tim Cook says they’re just getting better

Elon Musk presenting the Neuralink visionSource: flickr, photo by Steve Jurvetson

But of course, there’s plenty of skepticism. The tech is still in its early stages, and experts question whether it’ll really work at scale or what risks might come with it. Privacy is another big concern. If your brain is connected to a computer, who owns that data? Could it be hacked? Some also point out that Neuralink hasn’t been fully transparent about its research and potential risks, which makes people cautious.

Tim Cook says smartphones are here to stay

Back down to earth for a sec. While some are dreaming big about the future, Apple CEO Tim Cook is pretty sure smartphones aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Under his watch, Apple released the iPhone 16 in September 2024 with smarter AI features to make life easier. Cook thinks phones will stay a key part of our daily routine, with things like AR and wearables adding to the mix instead of taking over.