Technologies
It’s Time to Stop Waiting for Apple’s Next iPhone Moment
Commentary: The iPhone took off because it came at the right time — a moment that may be impossible to re-create.
When the original iPhone arrived in 2007, few people knew it would lay the foundation for the devices we now carry in our pockets each day. As the June 5 date of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference approaches, all eyes will be focused on whether the tech giant can re-create that impact with its first entirely new product in almost a decade: a head-mounted computer.
The iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone, nor was it the first mobile device to achieve cultural relevance as a status symbol. But it came at just the right moment, and there arguably hasn’t been such a perfectly timed tech product launch since. Re-creating that moment will be challenging, even for Apple.
The tech industry has evolved a lot since 2007, and so has our relationship with technology. Devices like the iPhone and the BlackBerry revolutionized the way we access information and communicate, at a time when the idea of constant internet connectivity was relatively new.
Advertiser Disclosure
But the biggest new gadgets since then (think smartwatches, wireless earbuds) were initially useful because they untethered us from those phones, helping us better navigate the influx of alerts flowing from them. It took years for the Apple Watch to establish its direction as a health and wellness device, and I suspect it’ll similarly take time for the headset to find its niche.
The arrival of a completely new product — whether it be a smartwatch or a headset — doesn’t feel the same as it did 16 years ago. Nor should it.
For the iPhone, timing was everything
The iPhone debuted at a formative time for personal technology. As the internet became a more integral part of our lives, so did the need to take it with us.
The iPod, BlackBerry phones and other personal digital assistants (better known as PDAs) provided a way to keep us connected on the go as people recognized the need to listen to music, send emails, and manage calendars away from home. Shipments of handheld computers from brands like BlackBerry and Palm rose 18.4% in 2006, according to Gartner data reported by the Associated Press in early 2007, underscoring the demand for mobile access to email and other communications.
Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Curve 8350i, from 2008. The BlackBerry first appeared in 2002.
Then the iPhone came in 2007 and changed everything. Steve Jobs famously introduced the first iPhone as a phone, an iPod and an Internet communicator in one device. What made the iPhone so impactful was that those three things were already necessities in people’s lives, as the success of cell phones, the iPod and home computers showed.
In 2000, 51% of US households had one or more computers, and more than 40% of households were connected to the Internet, according to a 2001 New York Times report covering Census Bureau data. The US added a record-breaking 25.7 million new mobile phone users in 2005, reported InfoWorld in 2006, citing data from the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. And sales of MP3 players were booming in the early 2000s, as market researcher IDC reported back in 2002.
Clearly the internet, MP3 players and cell phones were permeating everyday life long before the iPhone made its debut at the Macworld conference in 2007. The iPhone was the culmination of these trends, showing how hardware was catching up to the way people were already using tech products in their daily lives. Though PDAs and early «smart» phones like the IBM Simon were a promising start, they were largely designed to be handheld computers with cell phone functionality.
The iPhone and other modern smartphones took that idea a step further. When Apple’s App Store arrived later in 2008, apps turned the iPhone and other handheld devices into Swiss Army Knives, expanding their functionality beyond the business-focused PDAs of years past. Today, mobile devices can serve as phones, internet and email portals, music players, mini-TVs, flashlights, wallets, keys and so much more, largely thanks to the proliferation of apps.
The App Store turned the iPhone into much more than a phone, iPod and internet communicator.
But it’s important to remember that even the iPhone wasn’t an overnight success. The original model’s price and initial exclusivity to AT&T, combined with the notion that Apple was a newcomer to the mobile phone business, certainly resulted in some skepticism about the iPhone’s future. Let’s not forget that the first model also had many shortcomings, as former CNET Senior Managing Editor Kent German pointed out in his review.
Still, the iPhone had a long-term impact because it filled a need at the right time — even if it wasn’t immediately accessible to everyone right away. Consider technologies that came before their time. Microsoft’s SPOT platform sought to turn everyday objects like watches and household appliances into smart gadgets — preceding today’s smartwatches and the so-called internet of things boom. The SPOT watches never caught on, thanks in part to their bulky design and the subscription fee required to access Microsoft’s MSN Direct service, as my colleague David Carnoy wrote in 2008, marking the end of Microsoft’s efforts in that area at the time.
An Apple headset has a lot more competition for our attention
Fast-forward to today, and the tech world is buzzing about what’s expected to be a similar moment in Apple’s history. The company will reportedly introduce its first mixed reality headset on June 5, which Bloomberg says will have apps and software features that span gaming, communication, fitness and more. Apple has a reputation for popularizing devices like the smartphone, tablet and smartwatch, so the expectation is that it will do so again for headsets.
That may very well be true. But making head-mounted computers as ubiquitous as the iPhone is a tough task, even for Apple. Once again, it will all come down to timing. From smartwatches to earbuds, tablets to smart speakers, there are plenty of gadgets in our lives designed to fulfill different needs — many more than when the first iPhone launched.
Devices like the Apple Watch can help us manage the influx of notifications coming from our phones.
American households owned an average of 16 connected devices as of 2022, according to research firm Parks Associates. A Pew Research survey from 2021 found that 31% of US adults said they’re constantly online. A Reviews.org survey, the results of which were published this month, found that 56.9% of Americans said they’re addicted to their smartphone.
A gadget like Apple’s virtual reality headset, which will cost around $3,000 according to Bloomberg, will have to be very compelling to demand attention in a world already oversaturated with screens and sensors.
The iPhone may have revolutionized the way we communicate and use the internet. But we’re now in an era in which people are looking to disconnect from their phones more easily, and that shows in the new tech products from the last decade.
What do smartwatches, wireless earbuds and smart speakers have in common? They all allow us to access the internet without reaching for our phones, whether it’s skipping to the next track on your Spotify playlist, asking a virtual assistant for today’s weather forecast or getting a text message on your wrist. A mixed reality headset would seemingly do the opposite by further plunging you into whatever content you’re experiencing at the moment.
Even the developments in generative artificial intelligence, or AI, that can create content based on prompts, are designed to help us spend less time buried in screens. Google, for example, recently showed off a new Gmail feature called Help Me Write that can draft messages for you based on a quick prompt. Tools like these could shorten the amount of time we spend replying to emails and other communications, and could arguably be more impactful than new hardware. (In fact, if you’ve been following tech headlines in 2023, AI is apparently in the midst of its own «iPhone moment.»)
The slow-burn effect
In recent years, it’s taken longer for new Apple gadgets to establish a role in our lives, and the Apple Watch is the strongest example of this. When introducing it back in 2014, Apple initially positioned it as a personal timepiece by highlighting its stylish design and time-telling accuracy, before mentioning health and fitness.
But as the gadget matured and became more popular, Apple leaned more fully into health. It added ECG functionality in 2018 with the Series 4 model, enabling the watch to provide more data about cardiac health and signaling a turning point for the device. In 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that Apple’s «greatest contribution to mankind» will be about health. Roughly three years after the first Apple Watch arrived, it became clear that health, fitness and wellness tracking would be the its most important purpose. The iPhone may not have been in everyone’s pockets right away, but its role as a handheld computer, MP3 player and phone was apparent from the start.
The Apple Watch Series 4 was the first with ECG support.
Is it the right time for Apple’s rumored headset? I don’t have the answer, and I’m not sure if Apple does either. But one thing is for certain: If the headset is a hit, its success will look a lot different than that of the first iPhone. We might not understand the headset’s role in our lives until years after its release, if the Apple Watch’s trajectory is any indication. That wouldn’t deem it a failure, it’s just a sign of the times.
The so-called «iPhone moment» may be behind us for good. Or maybe it’s just changed.
Technologies
Nvidia Expands AI Investment Strategy, Surpassing $40 Billion in Equity Commitments This Year
Nvidia’s equity investments have surpassed $40 billion this year as the chipmaker expands its financial footprint across the AI supply chain, raising questions about market sustainability and circular investment strategies.
Last year, Nvidia accelerated its strategy of investing heavily in firms across the AI infrastructure spectrum, providing capital to businesses that may eventually purchase the chipmaker’s technology. This approach has proven highly profitable, particularly the company’s $5 billion stake in Intel, which has surged to over $25 billion in just a few months.
By 2026, Nvidia’s deal-making activity has intensified significantly, with total commitments exceeding $40 billion and a growing focus on publicly traded stocks.
Earlier this week, Nvidia announced a $2.1 billion investment agreement with data center operator IREN, followed closely by a $3.2 billion pact with Corning, a century-old glass manufacturer. Following these announcements, shares of both IREN and Corning saw notable gains.
Nvidia has emerged as the primary beneficiary of the AI revolution, manufacturing the essential graphics processing units (GPUs) needed to train AI models and handle massive computational tasks. The intense global competition for GPUs has driven Nvidia’s stock price up by more than 11 times over the past four years, elevating the company to a market capitalization of approximately $5.2 trillion and making it the world’s most valuable enterprise.
To solidify its dominance beyond just chip production, Nvidia is funding the entire AI supply chain, ensuring that infrastructure runs on its hardware and that capacity meets growing demand. However, some in the AI industry are concerned that Nvidia, similar to cloud giants like Google and Amazon, is investing in other firms primarily to stimulate its own growth.
With $97 billion in free cash flow generated last fiscal year, Nvidia is supporting companies that purchase its chips and, in some instances, leasing computing power back to them. Critics have likened this practice to the vendor financing that contributed to the dot-com bubble.
Matthew Bryson, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, noted that Nvidia’s investments align with the «circular investment theme» that has raised concerns about market sustainability. Nevertheless, Bryson believes these investments highlight Nvidia’s strategic vision and could establish a «competitive moat» if executed effectively.
An Nvidia spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
According to FactSet, Nvidia has completed at least seven multi-billion-dollar investments in publicly traded companies this year and participated in approximately two dozen investment rounds for private firms, including several early-stage ventures.
‘We don’t pick winners’
Nvidia’s largest single investment is a $30 billion stake in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and a long-time partner. The company also contributed to major funding rounds for Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI, shortly before xAI merged with SpaceX in February.
«There are so many great, amazing foundation model companies, and we try to invest in all of them,» Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated during an April podcast. «We don’t pick winners. We need to support everyone.»
With Nvidia’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report less than two weeks away, investors will gain a clearer understanding of the scale of the company’s expanding portfolio and its financial impact.
During the previous fiscal year, Nvidia invested $17.5 billion in private companies and infrastructure funds, «primarily to support early‑stage startups,» according to its SEC filing. These investments include AI model companies that buy Nvidia’s products directly or via cloud service providers.
Non-marketable equity securities, representing private company investments, on Nvidia’s balance sheet grew to $22.25 billion by the end of January, up from $3.39 billion a year prior. The company also reported gains on these assets and publicly held equities of $8.92 billion, up from $1.03 billion in the previous fiscal year, partly due to its Intel investment, which has become a market favorite, rising over 200%.
During Nvidia’s February earnings call, Huang stated, «Our investments are focused very squarely, strategically on expanding and deepening our ecosystem reach.»
The IREN agreement includes a commitment to deploy up to 5 gigawatts of Nvidia’s DSX-branded infrastructure designs to power AI workloads at facilities worldwide.
Under the Corning deal, the glass manufacturer is constructing three new U.S. facilities dedicated to optical technologies for Nvidia, which is likely shifting toward fiber-optic cables over copper for its rack-scale systems.
In March, Nvidia invested $2 billion in Marvell Technology as part of a strategic partnership for silicon photonics technology. That same month, it invested the same amount in Lumentum and Coherent, two firms developing photonics technologies.
Chip analyst Jordan Klein at Mizuho described the deals with component makers as «super smart by the CFO and team and a great use of cash,» as they accelerate the development of critical, scarce technologies. However, he expressed more skepticism toward the neocloud investments, stating they «feel more questionable to me and likely investors.»
«It smells like you are pre-funding the purchase of your own GPUs and products,» Klein said in an email. Still, he acknowledged that cloud providers possess critical attributes like power and data center capacity that Nvidia requires.
Ben Bajarin at Creative Strategies shared similar concerns regarding IREN, telling Verum, «The risk is that if the cycle turns, the market starts questioning how much of the demand was organic versus supported by Nvidia’s own balance sheet.»
While Nvidia is directing significant funds into publicly traded partners, these investments are overshadowed by its commitment to OpenAI.
Nvidia’s $30 billion injection into OpenAI in late February came more than a decade after the companies began collaborating, though their relationship has deepened since ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, which ignited the generative AI boom.
Nvidia’s initial investment in OpenAI was intended to be much larger. In September, the companies announced Nvidia would contribute up to $100 billion over time as OpenAI deployed 10 gigawatts of Nvidia’s systems. That deal ultimately did not materialize as OpenAI shifted away from developing data centers, instead relying on partners like Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon to assemble capacity.
Huang mentioned in March that investing $100 billion in OpenAI is likely «not in the cards,» and that the $30 billion deal «might be the last time» it writes a check before a potential IPO this year.
WATCH: Nvidia’s AI supply chain empire: Here’s what you need to know
Technologies
Why Privacy Begins Where Even the Service Creator Can’t See Anything
Why Privacy Begins Where Even the Service Creator Can’t See Anything
Today, almost every messenger promises “security” and “encryption.” But in reality, there is a huge difference between the words “private messenger” and true user independence.
Most modern platforms are still built around trust in the company. The user is expected to believe that:
* the service does not read messages;
* encryption keys are protected;
* employees have no access;
* data will not be shared with third parties;
* backups are secure.
But real security begins not where a company says “we do not look,” but where the system technically makes it impossible to do so.
This is exactly the principle behind Verum Messenger.
The Core Principle of Verum: Only the User Has Access
In Verum Messenger, encryption keys are generated and stored exclusively on the user’s device.
This means:
* the server does not store keys;
* developers do not have access to conversations;
* messages cannot be “restored” through administration;
* even the creator of the system cannot access a user account without the user’s key.
The key belongs only to the owner.
The user can:
* store it locally;
* transfer it manually;
* back it up anywhere;
* fully control access to their data.
The system is not built around trust in a company. It is built around eliminating the need to trust anyone at all.
Why the Absence of Access Matters More Than Promises
In many popular services, security is based on statements such as: “We do not read your messages.”
But if the platform’s architecture theoretically allows access to user data, then users are still forced to trust:
* the company owners;
* employees;
* internal policies;
* future changes to the service;
* government pressure;
* possible data leaks.
Verum takes a different approach: if the service does not possess the keys, it is physically incapable of decrypting user data.
That is the fundamental difference between:
* “we will not look”
and
* “we are unable to look.”
Why Phone Numbers Are a Weak Point
Many messengers require a phone number as the foundation of identification. But a phone number is not just a registration method.
It:
* is tied to a person’s identity;
* can be used for tracking;
* links accounts across services;
* is vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks;
* depends on a mobile operator.
Verum removes this dependency.
Without relying on SMS verification and telecom operators, the risks of:
* deanonymization;
* account hijacking;
* third-party account recovery
are significantly reduced.
Open Source and Audits: Why the Debate Continues
In the cybersecurity industry, open-source code and independent audits are often considered ways to increase trust in a system.
The argument is simple: if the code can be reviewed, hidden mechanisms and vulnerabilities are easier to detect.
But there is another perspective.
Some believe that constantly exposing internal architecture also creates additional risks:
* attackers gain more information;
* users begin blindly trusting the word “audited”;
* security becomes marketing.
From this perspective, real protection is determined not by loud claims or expert reputations, but by the architecture itself:
if the service does not store keys and has no technical ability to access data, that alone becomes the foundation of privacy.
Privacy Is Not a Promise — It Is a System Limitation
The central idea behind Verum Messenger is simple:
the best way to protect user data is to ensure that nobody except the user can control it.
Even the platform owner.
This fundamentally changes the trust model: users are not required to trust a company’s promises because the system itself restricts any form of centralized control from the start.
In this approach, privacy stops being a feature.
It becomes an architectural principle.
Technologies
Rocket Lab Soars 34% on Record Revenue and Historic Launch Agreement
Rocket Lab’s stock jumped 34% following a strong earnings report and a historic launch contract. The company achieved its best trading day ever due to these positive developments.
<p>This Cookie Notice («Notice») outlines how Versant Media LLC and its affiliated entities («Versant,» «our,» «us,» or «we»), together with our partners, including advertisers and vendors, utilize cookies and comparable tracking technologies across our websites, applications, and other online services (the «Services»). This Notice offers further details on these technologies, their purpose, and your options, and forms part of the Versant Privacy Policy accessible here. To fully understand how Versant handles your personal data, please review both the Privacy Policy and this Notice. Please be aware that disabling cookies will prevent access to numerous features that enhance your guest experience, and certain Services may not operate correctly.
WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Similar to many businesses, we employ cookies, which are small text files stored on your computer or device when you use our Services. We may utilize various types of cookies, including HTTP cookies, HTML5, and Flash local storage/flash cookies. Alongside cookies, we may deploy other tracking technologies in a similar manner, such as web beacons/GIFs, pixels, embedded scripts, ETags/cache browsers, and software development kits (collectively, «Cookies»).
Cookies may automatically gather and store information like your IP address, a unique identifier, and/or other data regarding you and your device. Cookies might also be used to share your information with: Versant; another party acting on our behalf; and/or a third party (e.g., an advertising or marketing partner) in line with its privacy policy. Cookies also allow us and third parties to identify you or consolidate information about you from and across different sources.
HOW ARE COOKIES USED?
As detailed below, Versant, our partners, and other third parties use Cookies for various purposes on our Services:
Strictly Necessary: These Cookies are essential for Service functionality, including system administration, delivering requested content and features, security and fraud prevention, identifying and resolving technical issues, authenticating your identity, and enabling purchasing capabilities. You can configure your browser to block these Cookies, but some parts of the Services may not function properly.
Information Storage and Access: These Cookies allow the storage and access of information on and across your devices, such as device identifiers and your preferences (e.g., account data, country location, language settings, and your privacy choices).
Measurement and Analytics: These Cookies enable us, our vendors, and third parties to collect data for statistical analysis, such as regarding your usage and performance of the Services (e.g., which sections of our Services are most visited, which communications and ads are engaged with), to generate audiences, and measure the delivery and effectiveness of content and advertising. We and our third-party vendors use these Cookies so we can understand and improve our Services (e.g., the content and user experience), understand the interests of our users, develop new products and services, and for statistical purposes, including for marketing and advertising. They are also used to recognize you and provide further insights across platforms and devices for the above purposes.
Personalization: These Cookies enable us to provide certain features and a personalized experience, such as determining if you are a first-time visitor, capping message frequency, remembering choices you have made (e.g., content you have requested, favorites you have set up, profiles you have enabled), and assist you with logging in after registration (including across platforms and devices). These Cookies also allow your device to receive and send information, so you can see and interact with ads and content.
Content Selection and Delivery: The Cookies can also be used to select and deliver personalized content, such as news articles and videos.
Ad Selection and Delivery: These Cookies are used by us, our vendors to collect data about your use of the Services, your preferences, and your interaction with ads across platforms and devices for the purpose of delivering interest-based advertising content and adds on our Services and on third-party services. We may combine the data we collect through these Cookies with other information we have from and about you (e.g., your account data) for these purposes.
Third parties (e.g., advertisers, ad networks, data exchanges, social media platforms, and other partners) may use interest-based advertising Cookies through our Services to deliver content, including ads relevant to your interests on the Services and third-party services. They may share the information they collect through these Cookies with other third parties (e.g., advertisers) according to their privacy policy.
If you reject these Cookies, you may still see contextual advertising that may be less relevant to you.
Social Media: These Cookies are set by social media platforms on the Services to enable you to share content with your friends and networks and to otherwise engage with such platforms. Social media platforms have the ability to track your online activity outside of the Services. This may impact the content and messages you see on other services.
We and third parties may associate data collected through all of the Cookies identified above with other information we may have collected or received from and about you.
HOW DO I MANAGE COOKIES?
Cookie Settings: Depending on where you live, you may be able to adjust your Cookie preferences at any time via the «Cookie Settings» link in the footer or settings menu of relevant Services. You must adjust your settings on each browser or device that you use. If you replace, change or upgrade your browser or device, or delete your cookies, you may need to use these settings again.
Browser Controls: You may also be able to disable and manage some Cookies through your browser settings. If you use multiple browsers on the same device, you will need to manage your settings for each browser. Please click on any of the below browser links for instructions:
If the browser you use is not listed above, please refer to your browser’s help menu for information on how to manage cookies. Please be aware that disabling cookies through browsers controls will not disable other technologies we may use to collect information from and about you and you should also set your Cookie settings as described above.
Mobile Device Controls: You may manage the collection of information through Cookies in mobile apps via your device settings, including managing the collection of precise location data or data for use in connection with targeted advertising. Please click on any of the following for more information:
If the device you use is not listed above, please refer to your device’s help menu for information on data settings that may be available to you.
Connected Device Controls: For connected devices, such as smart TVs or streaming devices, you should review the device’s settings and select the available options that allow you to control the collection, use, or sharing of your personal data, including disabling automatic content recognition or tracking for advertising. Typically, to opt out, such devices require you to select options like “limit ad tracking” or to disable options such as “interest-based advertising,” “interactive TV,” or “smart interactivity”. These settings vary by device type.
Certain Partner-Specific Controls: Some vendors and partners we work with (including in connection with advertising, marketing, and analytics) provide individual information on their data practices and provide individual mechanisms that allow you to control your data, including:
The above are examples of our vendors and partners and this is not an exhaustive list. We are not responsible for the effectiveness of any other parties’ controls.
Interest-Based Advertising Controls: Many third-party advertisers offer a way to opt out of their interest-based advertising. For more information or to opt out of receiving interest-based advertising from certain third-party advertisers, depending on your country of residence, please visit:
For certain Services, Versant participates in the IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework and complies with its Specifications and Policies.
Consequences of Deactivation of Cookies: If you disable or remove Cookies, some parts of the Services may not function properly. Information may still be collected and used for other purposes, such as research, online services analytics or internal operations, and to remember your opt-out preferences.
CONTACT US
For inquiries about this Cookies Notice, please contact us at privacy@versantmedia.com or Chief Privacy Officer, Versant Legal Department, 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA, Versant Legal Department Attn: Chief Privacy Officer.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
This Notice may be revised occasionally and in accordance with legal requirements. Please revisit this Cookie Notice regularly to stay informed about our and our analytic and advertising partners’ use of Cookies.</p>
-
Technologies3 года agoTech Companies Need to Be Held Accountable for Security, Experts Say
-
Technologies3 года agoBest Handheld Game Console in 2023
-
Technologies3 года agoTighten Up Your VR Game With the Best Head Straps for Quest 2
-
Technologies4 года agoBlack Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more
-
Technologies5 лет agoGoogle to require vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies
-
Technologies5 лет agoVerum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers
-
Technologies4 года agoThe number of Сrypto Bank customers increased by 10% in five days
-
Technologies5 лет agoOlivia Harlan Dekker for Verum Messenger