“Father of the iPod” Tony Fadell has written a lengthy column in which he argues that our choice of AI assistant really matters, but also raises some huge questions that need to be addressed.
He says the reason the iPhone has stood the test of time is because Apple understood the behavioral shifts it would create, not just the technology shift, and the same will be true of AI assistants …
Fadell points to the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone (and, rather less convincingly, Nest) as being about more than just making technology more accessible.
Every one of these transitions had something in common: taking a capability that used to be rare, difficult or expensive and making it more accessible. The builders who understood the behavioral shift, not just the technology shift, were the ones who built something that lasted.
He effectively argues that of all of the companies competing in this field, Apple is one of the best placed.
