Apple has been quiet about ChatGPT. Now Tim Cook says its hefty $22.6 billion research spend is down to generative AI.::The company’s research and development spending hit $22.61 billion for the year so far, a figure $3.12 billion higher than this time last year.
I don’t hate you, and I’m not throwing hate your way. I’m just a little exasperated, that’s all.
Look… A smartphone is defined as a device that combines mobile telephone functions and computing functions into one unit. By that definition, the BlackBerry definitely qualified. If you’re using a different definition - for example, one that requires a full-body touchscreen and no physical keyboard - that’s fine, it’s just important that we agree on what we’re talking about. I’m using the traditional definition and you’re not, I guess.
That’s OK, just as long as we both know.
So let’s move on.
Ok. What is the topic? Innovation vs invention?
That’s a good one. I think there’s a lot that would be interesting to explore in both. For example, was the IBM Simon a smartphone? It had a touchscreen, apps, and network access way back in 1992. So what are the material vs. cosmetic differences between it and the iPhone? (Don’t worry, I’m not arguing that the iPhone isn’t both innovative and inventive in comparison, it’s just that there’s more gray area than people tend to realize.)
I guess what I’d most like to think about is three things:
Hey, also wanted to say I’m glad we’ve hammered this out.
A smartphone integrates a camera, a phone, a gps device and internet as well as being a phone and enabled communication by text, video and audio.
A device that combines all of this may have existed before but they failed in the fight for adoption by the masses. Innovation is theorized:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations
What you need to make inventions into innovation is to make it accessible to people who expect products to just work. Innovation always faces resistance. The people who don’t want any change will always fight new stuff while early adopters will always try new things. The people in the middle are key. UX is a big part but also hardware and software that works without the need for tinkering is essential.