Carl Pei, the co-founder of Nothing, shared his bold vision for the future of smartphones in a recent interview with WIRED. He believes that in the next 7 to 10 years, smartphones will no longer rely on apps. Instead, the operating system (OS), powered by AI, will handle everything for the user automatically.
Pei explains that the future phone OS will know its user deeply and will act like a personal assistant, anticipating what the user needs and doing tasks without manual input. Rather than opening apps one by one, users will interact mostly with the OS itself, which will optimize their experience and free up time for more meaningful activities.
He compares this shift to the launch of the iPod, which wasn’t just about hardware but about creating a better user experience. For Pei, AI is a tool to solve real problems and simplify daily life, not just a flashy feature.
Despite this futuristic vision, Pei acknowledges that apps will remain part of smartphones for now because people still enjoy using them. Nothing Phone (3) will keep apps as usual, but this new OS-driven experience is expected to develop gradually over the next decade.
This idea echoes past attempts by other companies like ChromeOS and Essential Phone to create more integrated OS experiences, but Pei believes AI makes this shift more realistic and impactful now.
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