Apple Executive Predicts AI Could Replace iPhones Within a Decade

The Way of the iPod: Apple's Eddy Cue Says the iPhone May Be Gone in 10 Years

One of Apple's most senior team has said customers may not need an iPhone in 10 years time. Apple's senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, was speaking during the latest step in the ongoing Google monopoly trial related to control of the search market. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds," Cue said, as reported by Bloomberg. "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." This is the first time a public figure within Apple has alluded to the end of the iPhone because of recent innovations in AI. Cue doesn't know what will eventually replace the iPhone, but he's clear the company needs to stay open to future possibilities. He said that one of the "best things" Apple has ever done is make the iPod obsolete. "We killed the iPod ourselves with the iPhone," said Cue. "Most companies have a very difficult time killing themselves when new technology comes along because you're afraid, why would you kill the golden goose, in a sense. And so, what I see generally is new technologies come about, new companies get formed, the incumbents have a hard time with it." The iPod was first introduced in 2001 and Apple discontinued the line of products in 2022. The final model was the 2019 iPod Touch, which with its display and access to the App Store worked in a very similar way to an iPhone but with limited connectivity options. Don't expect the iPhone to follow the iPod anytime soon. In Apple's financial results for Q2 2025, the first three months of the year, 49.1% of the company's $95.4 billion revenue came directly from the iPhone. That period saw the company introduce the iPhone 16e, its new entry level iPhone. Services made up a large percentage of Apple's revenue growing to almost 28%, but that's still a far cry from the money the company makes from iPhone sales. Cue also commented in the trial that Apple is exploring alternatives to Google Search within Safari. He confirmed the company has had conversations with AI companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, and Perplexity. He says Apple is keeping its options open and it is preparing to "make sure we have the capability to switch if we have to."

Eddy Cue says we 'may not need' iPhone by 2035 due to AI - 9to5Mac

Eddy Cue is in court today giving testimony as part of Google's antitrust case related to search. And in addition to confirming an upcoming shift toward AI providers in Safari, Apple's services head shared a fascinating quote related to the iPhone's future. During today's court proceedings, Apple SVP Eddy Cue commented on the rapidly shifting technology landscape due to AI. Most of his remarks centered on AI's upheaval on the search market, since that's the main focus of the Google case he was testifying in. But Cue also remarked that, due to AI, people "may not need an iPhone 10 years from now." Here's the full quote per Bloomberg: "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds," Cue said in a court. "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." Cue's comment was likely an off-hand speculative remark. I wouldn't take it as reflective of his actual belief regarding the iPhone's future. That said, the Apple exec was giving public testimony in a court of law where he knew his comments would be publicized widely, which gives the words a lot more weight. Though Apple likely isn't planning for the iPhone to disappear by 2035, AI does represent a major technology shift, and that could bring significant upheaval to existing consumer norms. Products like wearables could stand to benefit more than the iPhone, especially if voice-first, AI-powered computing becomes a bigger deal. What do you make of Cue's AI remarks? Let us know in the comments.

Apple's Eddy Cue: AI Could Replace iPhone in 10 Years

AI technology is advancing so rapidly that the iPhone could be outdated in the next decade, Apple services chief Eddy Cue said today when testifying in the Google vs. DoJ antitrust case (via Bloomberg). "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds," Cue said. He was referring to the way that AI is likely to evolve in the coming years, and how wearables combined with intuitive AI functionality could replace traditional smartphones. The iPhone is still Apple's key revenue driver, and Apple so far hasn't been able to find its next big product that could replace the iPhone as main money maker. Apple canceled its car project, and its first VR headset hasn't sold well. Apple is now focusing on robotics, and is continuing to work on wearables that could eventually lead to augmented reality smart glasses that would be a viable iPhone alternative. Cue was, of course, just speculating, and Apple still has multiple iPhone innovations that are set to come out over the next several years. Apple could debut its first foldable iPhone as soon as next year, and in 2027, Apple is looking to introduce an all-display iPhone that has no cutouts for the camera or Face ID. So far, AI-based wearables have not successfully replaced smartphones. The Humane AI Pin was a failure, and the Rabbit R1 was also lambasted for poor performance when it launched last year. Other companies are also working on AI screen-free wearables, but none have caught on as of yet. Cue was testifying due to Apple's search engine deal with Google, which is likely to be prohibited as part of the antitrust remedies that Google is facing to address its dominance in the search market. Cue said that AI search solutions are poised to replace traditional search engines, and Apple is considering adding AI search tools from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity to Safari in the future as options for people to select. Apple stands to lose at least $20 billion per year if Google isn't able to pay to be the default Safari search engine.

Goodbye, iPhone? Apple's Cue says the phone could be replaced by AI

iPhones remain a crucial part of Apple's business -- arguably the one product above all that people associate with the Cupertino company. But there could come a day when Apple's smartphone is no longer part of the picture. That's not the analysis of some random observer, either -- rather, it comes straight from a high-ranking Apple executive. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds," said Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services for Apple, during testimony in a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against Alphabet, the parent company of Google. According to Bloomberg's report on the testimony, Cue made his comments about the iPhone in the context of explaining how shifts in technology can make today's killer products tomorrow's after-thoughts. Specifically, Cue noted that the rise of artificial intelligence -- currently, the fascination of the tech industry -- could wind up producing something that takes the iPhone's place. "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts," Cue said. "Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." It's not just phones that could lose ground to AI. Cue said in his testimony that Apple is looking into revamping Safari to rely on AI-powered search engines -- a development that could be a potential blow to Google's search business. For now, though, the iPhone remains Apple's dominant product , especially with tools like Apple Intelligence still in their nascent stages. For the 2024 fiscal year, iPhones sales brought in $201.1 billion, around 51% of Apple's total for the year. In the just announced March quarter, that percentage is now 49%, as areas like services accounting for a growing portion of Apple's sales. You don't have to look too far in Apple's history to see a once-dominant product fall out of favor over time. Cue himself alluded to the iPod, the music player that revived Apple's fortunes 20 years ago only to fall by the wayside as the iPhone took over. Apple discontinued the iPod touch in 2022, marking the end of its music player products. But at its height in 2006, iPod sales accounted for 40% of Apple's revenue, according to data posted at Statista. Cue isn't the first tech executive to muse about smartphones going the way of the iPod, not even at Apple. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg has been making the rounds touting smart glasses as a potential phone replacement, coinciding with his company's work on the Orion AR glasses. And reports that Tim Cook is focusing his time nearly entirely on smart glasses as an eventual follow-up to the Vision Pro headset that marked Apple's first steps into spatial computing. Ten years is a long time, so don't expect Apple to back away from the still lucrative iPhone business just yet. But Apple's WWDC 2025 conference is a month away, and while iOS 19 will certainly get its share of attention, potential announcements about visionOS and AI should also be of interest. If Apple does see a limited future for iPhones, we may get our first inkling of what the company has in mind for an encore in some of those previews.

Apple exec suggests you 'may not need' an iPhone in 10 years' time

The statement was made as part of testimony at the Google antitrust remedies trial on May 7 Will we always use smartphones? It's a question every tech fan has asked. It makes sense that technology will keep evolving, but a phone-less reality is a little hard to imagine in a world where these devices are used for everything from paying for your groceries to streaming your favorite music. However, a new statement by a high-ranking Apple executive suggests the era of the iPhone could come to a close sooner than you might expect. While giving testimony at the Google Search antitrust remedies trial on May 7, Apple SVP and head of services Eddy Cue said: "you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now". The comment was made in reference to the changing nature of technology and the relative impermanence of tech products compared to other goods. As PhoneArena reports, the comments can be taken in a wider context as a recognition that the ongoing surge in AI development could force even the largest tech companies, like Apple, to adapt to unforeseen changes. Though the iPhone is the icon of Apple's product portfolio, it and the smartphone industry are still young compared to other industries - Cue highlighted "oil" and "toothpaste" as examples. The expected release of the iPhone 17 family later this year will mark 18 years of the iPhone, and with Apple itself offering a robust suite of AI tools via Apple Intelligence, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that software could take priority over hardware in the coming years. In fact, some device makers have already made attempts at producing AI-first gadgets, though these have generally failed to take off; the Rabbit R1 AI companion, for instance, landed on our list of the biggest tech flops of last year. Looking at the iPhone specifically, it's now pretty rare to see major leaps in hardware power between single generations. The addition of the Camera Control button and bump up to 8GB of RAM for the iPhone 16 family marked the biggest hardware upgrade for Apple's handsets in years, but we only need to look back at the tiny hop from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14 to see much smaller gradations of change. Apple Intelligence, however, isn't beholden to yearly release cycles - Apple can update it as and when it sees fit. Of course, the hardware still needs to be capable enough to run these AI tools, but otherwise, Apple has much more freedom to accelerate on the software side of things. As CNBC reports, Apple already makes about a fifth of its revenue from services, and while Apple Intelligence is currently free, there's nothing stopping the tech giant from adding premium tiers or charging for existing features in the future. So, while it honestly seems unlikely that iPhones will disappear by 2035, having hardware releases exist to support software developments and AI services seems like a pretty realistic outcome. For now, the era of the iPhone is still ongoing - be sure to check out our list of the best iPhones if you're thinking of picking one up yourself. Do you think iPhones will be around in 10 years' time? Let us know in the comments.

I love my iPhone too much to give it up in 10 years, even if Eddy Cue says that might be the future

Experts predict that by 2035, AI will have remade society, altering everything from healthcare to jobs and human interaction, and, if you believe Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, it might also signal the end of our deepest tech relationship: the one we have with our iPhone. In testimony during the US Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google parent Alphabet, Cue, according to Bloomberg, shared this revelation: "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds." Queue Apple CEO Tim Cook spittake. While Cook wipes the coffee from his MacBook screen, let's discuss. I agree, that's crazy-talk from an Apple executive charged with expanding Apple Services far and wide, often with the iconic iPhone as the portal. However, Cue's comments came amid a larger discussion about the growing impact of AI and its place as a changemaker. In the near term, it's meant Apple is reportedly now looking at the possibility of shifting Google from its prime spot as the default search engine for iPhones, iPads, and Macs in Safari. The replacement? Possibly an AI search engine. This makes sense. We're already seeing people replace traditional search results and their endless pages of useful blue links with summaries from Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Copilot, etc. They may not all be accurate, but they are, it seems, good enough for most people. I have trouble, though, squaring Cue's contention that we might not need the iPhone and (by extension) other smartphones in a decade. It's almost like he said it to signal, "Hey, we're all under threat from the rapid expansion of AI, even Apple's most profitable business segment [iPhone accounted for almost half the $95B Apple made last quarter], so when you think about - just spitballing here - monopolies and closed systems in any sector, don't look at us. We might be fighting for our lives by 2035." AI is a fantastic tool, but it won't be floating in the ether 10 years from now. Artificial Intelligence, large language models (LLMs), and interfaces (text or voice) must live somewhere. We've already seen that most people are not interested in wearable AI. They still want screens, preferably ones that fit in their pockets, backpacks, or bags. We won't walk around a city shouting prompts into space, hoping that a local AI beacon hears us and responds. Will we? Leaving aside AI for a second, just stop and think about your relationship with your iPhone or Android. It's deep. It's personal. You hold it and cradle it like a loved one - you certainly stare at your phone screen longer than you hold any other human's gaze. Is that relationship going to be any different in 10 years? I highly doubt we'll put all our critical information somewhere else - all those apps, services, and digital currency, we need them at our fingertips. What will you tap to pay if not your phone? Okay, maybe your watch, but the phone will still be in your hand in 2035, and I bet you'll still be using it. It's possible that Cue is trying to tell us something else, and this speaks to Apple's other long-term strategy: AR glasses. We know Tim Cook loves augmented reality, and while the Vision Pro has not been the global hit Apple hoped for, lightweight AR glasses are certainly in Apple's strategic plan. Assuming they have a wide field of view interface, voice and gesture control, and the excellent Apple Intelligence AI we've been promised (a Siri that can finally compete with ChatGPT), they could be an iPhone replacement for many. If, and it's a big if, Cue is really talking about Apple iGlasses, then the iPhone's loss of utility almost makes sense. But that's a big stretch. Making such a bold statement that we may not need iPhones in a decade is borderline irresponsible and assumes that AI will not only be ubiquitous but so good that we will no longer need hardware-based assistants. I think AI will be better and smarter, but even more fraught. There may, by 2035, be such a massive backlash that half the population is anti-AI and refusing to use it in any form. The iPhone might be their primary tool for communicating, organizing, and spreading the good anti-AI word. Good luck ripping that device from their sweaty grips.

Apple's Eddy Cue sees the iPhone being replaced by AI

During court testimony over Apple's search deal with Google, Apple executive Eddy Cue threw in a curveball, basically saying we shouldn't assume there will be an iPhone 30 someday. One strongly possible outcome of the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google is that it may be forced to stop paying Apple to be the default search engine on iOS. That would mean Apple losing out on around $20 billion a year, so naturally the firm's senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, is keen to keep the deal. But in testimony that intended to reveal Apple is anyway looking into offering search via AI services, Cue also gave Apple's first-ever mention of a day when iPhones could be no more. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds," Cue said, as first spotted by Bloomberg. "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts." "Technology shifts create these opportunities," he continued. "AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." That second part of the quote is normal stuff from a man who also says he doesn't see how regular search won't now be replaced by AI. But it's the first part that's a bit more unexpected. There does have to be a limit, there does have to be an end. We're surely not going to ever be hearing rumors of the iPhone 118 in a century's time, but it's still unusual for Apple to say it. It's not, though, unusual for Apple to do something about it. For instance, you might not be able to pin down the day that the iPod started and stopped being ubiquitous and global, but you know it happened. You also know that this world-dominating music player was destroyed in a flash, not by a rival, but by its own creator. Apple made the iPod, and Apple took it away. In its time, the iPod was as commonplace a sight as the iPhone is now. But today, it is totally absent from the world, minus some enthusiasts keeping it alive with flash memory and so forth. The iPod is effectively gone, the iPhone will go the same route. It's just a question of time, but you'd have bet it would be longer than another decade.

There may not be an iPhone in 10 years' time, says top Apple exec

Well, whouda thunk it. A top Apple executive positing the idea that in 10 years from now, the iPhone -- your beloved iPhone (unless you have a beloved Android phone, that is) -- may no longer exist. Before your head explodes at the mere thought of Apple abandoning the iPhone in 10 years' time, there's also a chance that in 2035 there will be an iPhone 27, or whatever's Apple's calling it by then. Recommended Videos So, why exactly did Apple's senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, make such a surprising comment? Cue made the remark on Wednesday at the Google Search antitrust remedies trial, sharing his thoughts on how artificial intelligence (AI) could one day revolutionize the tech sector. The executive said that technology is developing at such a clip that it's possible people will be using entirely different gadgets in the not-too-distant future. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds," Cue said in widely reported comments, adding: "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." The Apple executive was essentially suggesting that as AI becomes more advanced, new types of devices or interfaces -- such as wearables, mixed reality headsets, or ambient AI assistants -- from new industry players could replace the smartphone as our main way of interacting with technology. Cue's comments reflect Apple's awareness that no product, not even the iPhone, is immune to being replaced by new innovations driven by transformational technology like AI. But could Apple really ditch the iPhone? Remember when the iPod first came out in 2001 and how at the time everyone thought it was the be-all and end-all as far as listening to music on the go was concerned. Well, Apple dropped it as new technology led to the creation of the iPhone, although of course there was a crossover period. The tech giant has sold more than 2.6 billion iPhones globally since its release in 2007, with total revenue for its most successful product ever exceeding an astonishing $1.5 trillion. With that in mind, t's hard to imagine Apple announcing the end of the iPhone. But as it's impossible to know what new tech is coming our way, it's certainly within the realm of possibility. Watch this space.

Apple says why the iPhone may not exist in just 10 years

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you. Apple believes it's possible that we could live in a world where iPhones don't exist, and while you may think that reality is many, many years away, the company believes it could be a lot sooner than expected. In a Google vs Department of Justice antitrust case testimony, Apple's services chief Eddy Cue discussed the possibility of iPhones becoming obsolete in just 10 years from now. How did this come up? Cue was mentioning how artificial intelligence will continue to evolve and become ingrained in our everyday lives, eventually becoming part of the average person's daily routine. The top Apple executive continued and added that iPhones may not be the vehicle that humans use to interact with AI, and by extension, suggesting that iPhones may not even be needed in the future. If Cue's suggestion proves to be true, Apple could be in some pretty big trouble, as currently iPhone sales account for approximately 50% of the company's quarterly revenue. So, what will replace the iPhone? Previous reports citing Apple's CEO Tim Cook state the company's CEO has been fixed on a specific vision for the past decade, and that has been "lightweight spectacles that a customer could wear all day." "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds," said Cue Presumably, these augmented reality glasses - glasses that combine virtual reality technology and technology that projects digital images onto the real world (augmented reality) - would be able to perform at the very least everything that a regular smartphone can do, plus more. However, realizing that vision is probably a bit further than 10 years away, as current virtual/augmented wearable technology from Apple is the Vision Pro, a bulky, expensive headset aimed at luxury users. For the time being, it appears Apple is safe with its iPhone revenue, but given the rate at which technology advances, it's possible we could see the adoption of wearable computing into everyday life within the next 5 years, especially considering successful products such as the Meta Glasses already existing on the market.

Apple SVP Eddy Cue Says People Will 'Not Need An iPhone' In 10 Years, Citing How AI Is Shaping The Technology Landscape - A Claim That Clashes With The Undeniable Grip Of Smartphones

The iPhone has come a long way since its launch in 2007, and the handsets just keep on getting better every year. It appears that the iPhone is not here to stay forever, at least according to Apple's SVP Eddy Cue in his latest remarks in a court hearing. Today, Eddy Cue is in court to give testimony as part of the Google antitrust case regarding search, and apart from shift towards AI for various service, the SVP talked about the future of the iPhone. In today's court proceedings, Apple's Senior Vice President of Apple, Eddy Cue, stated that the fast transition in the landscape of technology due to AI could have an impact on the future of the iPhone. AI has a deep impact on search, considering how OpenAI is using ChatGPT as a dedicated platform for the purpose. This shows the extent of AI and how it can replace certain technologies in the industry. Eddy Cue also stated that with AI advancing faster than ever before, people "may not need an iPhone 10 years from now." Check out the full quote from the SVP, as per reports from Bloomberg. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds," Cue said in a court. "The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." We have to take note that the iPhone is here to stay and Cue's remarks only represent the capabilities of AI and its ever-growing landscape. Nonetheless, the statement received plenty of attention, as the iPhone is Apple's best selling product and has matured into a device that is hard to be replaced by a new gadget such as the Vision Pro. Even though the iPhone is stronger than ever in the market with its state-of-the-art hardware and Apple Intelligence integration, AI has transcended into something more valuable. Apple is aiming to launch its smart glasses with Apple Intelligence integration soon, which could serve the same purpose as the iPhone, but not as a full-fledged replacement. Moreover, the devices would have to mature over a course of years before we can start making speculations regarding the iPhone's future. Eddy Cue's remarks only highlight the importance of AI and its impact on the tech landscape.

In 10 Years, You Might Not Need an iPhone: Apple Chief

Apple is currently facing one of the biggest hurdles in the company's history, with Apple Intelligence failing to take off as expected. However, AI is not the only albatross around the neck of Apple, it is also facing a potential loss of its search engine deal with Google worth $20 billion. Interestingly, Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services, appeared to testify in the high-profile case and mentioned something during his statement that hints at a major change in the course of Apple's action in the future. It is not hidden that Apple has failed to come up with a viral and money-making product after launching the first iPhone in 2007. It has tried its hand on several projects, namely AR/VR headset, electric car, and more, but the results have not been satisfactory so far. Now, Eddy Cue's statement hints at the next big project that Apple could be planning to undertake. Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly the future, and Apple has been pushing to bring AI to the forefront. As per Bloomberg, Eddy Cue said that 10 years down the line, the iPhone could be replaced by AI. "You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds. The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it's creating new opportunities for new entrants." - Eddy Cue, SVP Apple While Eddy's comments were mostly centered around the landscape of search in the future, as he was appearing for the Google vs. DoJ antitrust case, his statement hints that AI, especially AI search, could play a pivotal role in the future. So much so that it could make the iPhone obsolete in a decade. So far, Apple has been struggling in the AI department with delayed features, false advertising of features, and half-cooked features. Siri's contextual awareness feature is expected to arrive sometime in "the coming year," as per Apple. Despite the advent of AI in the smartphone landscape, the iPhone becoming obsolete by 2035 is a far-fetched idea. Eddy also mentioned that Apple is planning to add AI search options to Safari after witnessing a drop in searches on Safari in April this year. As per Eddy, conventional search engines will die out and AI-powered platforms will replace them, hence the step.