“... We know what a smartphone looks like and does ... it’s not an area where there will be any more innovation.”
Sounds like the proverbial Famous Last Words ...
The reality is, there likely won’t be any more MAJOR innovations... evolutionary vs revolutionary.. innovation will continue, but its not likely that the next phone from anyone is going to have something so unheard of and exciting that it will be a must have on that merit alone.
This is typical of any industry... the ball point pen revolutionized writing.... and there are still innovations that happen in the pen industry, but no one is clamoring for it.
Its typical product life cycle... the real question is,... what’s next? Wearables certainly aren’t it.... though they will continue to evolve and grow as well... cars??? Eh... more evolution vs innovation as tmore and more tech finds their way into it... Apple TV? Not really likely, just a another streaming service, and a pricier one at that... though I am sure with folks cutting the cord Apple TV will get Apple a revenue stream...
But whats the next big thing? Reality is, I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone knows... IOT? Again, more evolution than revolution... The fact my Refrigerator can tell me its 37 degrees inside it when I am 2000 miles away isn’t really a must have thing...
OF course in 2005 no one would have told you the next big thing was going to be the smart phone either... so fact no one knows what that next big thing is yet... not really worrisome... as long as Apple is spending good R&D money, I am sure eventually they will find another big hit... If they start to cut back there.. that’s when I’ll worry about Apple being yesterday’s news..