Tl; Dream
- Nothing CEO, Carl Pei, thinks smartphones will have only one app in the future – Os.
- He imagines that apps will be obsolete over the next decade and will be replaced by an agentic operating system that understands context and actions on your behalf.
In a recent interview with CabledNothing CEO Carl Pei shared his vision for the future of smartphones. He thinks we are heading towards a world where apps will become obsolete.
Pei imagines that a few years down the line, the smartphones will settle for just one app. This intelligent system will understand the user’s needs and context, and automatically deliver what they want, and eliminate the need to manually navigate multiple apps.
In the future, the entire phone will only have one app, and it will be the operating system, “Pei said.” Os will know his user well and will be optimized for that person.
Fireplace comments come as nothing gives up to launch its first “true flagship”, the Nothing phone 3. The former OnePlus-Median told Cabled The fact that the company grew 150% last year, but it represents only 0.1% of the global smartphone market. Still, nothing has cut out a pretty niche for itself by challenging traditional smartphone design and UX, with its focus on openness, simplicity and unique visual identity.
That said, the fireplace ambitions go beyond the aesthetics of The Nothing Phones. He imagines a future in which smartphones do not require users to scroll through sides of app or dig through settings. Instead, phones will understand context, such as where you are, what time it is, and what is on your schedule, and offer timely, automated suggestions or even act on your behalf.
Do you think smartphones can go for free over the next decade?
19 votes
“The next step after data -driven personalization is automation,” he said. “The system knows you, knows who you are and know what you want.”
Fireplace vision is of course very dependent on smartphones with integrated AI. He believes the operating system will act as a personal agent to reduce screen time and increase productivity. However, he rightly admits that this will not happen overnight.
“At this time, if we said, we have eliminated apps from smartphones, no one would buy it,” he said.
Instead, he sees a gradual transition, with companies that test, learn and develop with feedback from users. He estimates that it may take seven to ten years to fully realize this shift, and notes that the consumer setting for apps will not disappear quickly.