Smartphones stuck in a rut: App ecosystem is key to solving problemsPhones04:30 | February 25, 2024

The answer, oddly enough, lies not in advances in hardware but in the app ecosystem. Apps, the lifeblood of any smartphone, are a double-edged sword. While they offer functionality that makes the phone “yours,” they also hinder innovation by requiring compatibility with existing design paradigms.

While manufacturers can technically change smartphones’ form factors, such as foldable displays, millions of apps are still optimized for traditional sizes and aspect ratios. This makes foldable displays less interesting, for example, where most apps stretch awkwardly to fill a larger canvas.

Traditionally, vendors persuade developers to adapt to their new ideas, as was the case with the release of the Nothing’s Glyph interface SDK. However, radical approaches are emerging that aim to completely disable the application ecosystem. CES 2023 introduced the Rabbit R1, a budget-friendly device designed to make accessing apps easier using artificial intelligence. Brain company is at MWC. ai will present the “app-free phone” concept together with Deutsche Telekom. This device promises an AI-powered interface that anticipates user needs and creates contextual interfaces bypassing traditional applications. Is artificial intelligence the answer?

While these AI concepts are intriguing, it is too early to predict their success against traditional smartphones.

Continuously improving existing designs by “tinkering” is valuable, but true innovation requires larger changes. Unless manufacturers can find creative ways to work in and around the built-in application environment, they will face an uphill battle to take smartphones beyond the black box.

The future of smartphones lies not only in cutting-edge hardware, but also in the development of an ecosystem that embraces evolution and adaptation. Only then will we be able to move beyond the current plateau and truly redesign the mobile experience.