Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, said the company might be losing out on its innovative edge to competitors like Samsung or Huawei when it comes to introducing cutting edge tech devices. The obvious reference is the foldable phones both companies launched recently, and Woz said he couldn’t wait to have a foldable iPhone version as well.
Samsung last week introduced the Galaxy Fold which comes with a 4.6-inch display on the outside as well as a 7.3-inch display on the inside in the unfolded state. Just days later, Huawei launched its own version of a foldable phone where the phone transforms into an 8-inch tablet when unfolded. However, unlike the Galaxy Fold, the Huawei Mate X, folded on the outside so that one half of the display remains exposed even when folded.
Also, while the Galaxy Fold looks chunky, the Mate X has the more polished looks of the two given its sleek lines as well as a slim build. In any case, both the companies seem to have taken a page out of Apple’s own marketing strategy, banking on premium branding and a matching high price tag to reach out to the buyers. The Galaxy Fold is priced $1,980 while the Mate X is priced even higher at $2,600.
However, Woz still believes Apple has the edge when it comes to key features such as Touch ID, Face ID or Apple Pay, all of which has revolutionized the way people use smartphones over the years. That said, the executive also expressed fear the iPhone might not be as popular as it used to be, something exemplified by the drop in revenue it incurred during the first quarter of this fiscal compared to what it was last year.
Tim Cook meanwhile does not seem to be too interested in the foldable phone bit. Instead, he seems to be more into the health care sector while making user’s privacy more imbued into the core working philosophy of the company. The Apple CEO said as the company gets more involved in tracking the health parameters of its users, it is imperative they also develop more sophisticated means to prevent the data thus collected to fall into the wrong hands.
Cook also stressed on Apple’s own chequered history when it comes to safeguarding the privacy of its users. That includes not collecting user data for advertising purposes in an oblique reference to the way both Google or Facebook have shaped their working principle, that of revenue from advertising at the cost of user’s privacy.
