Mint Primer: Will XR glasses, Neuralinks kill smartphones?
Elon Musk recently posted on X, suggesting that Tesla’s brain chip implant would eventually replace smartphones. It was his response to a post on X that showed an artificial intelligence (AI)-created image of Musk with a phone and a neural network pattern on his forehead, asking if users would agree to implant a Neuralink. The product, called Telepathy, comprises an implant that records neural activity through electrodes, a surgical robot and a user app.
However, it is currently limited to helping critically ill patients use their thoughts to move their limbs. Way back in 2013, Mary Meeker, an internet analyst and partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, said the future is about “wearables (smartwatches, etc.), drivables (driverless cars), flyables (eplanes, etc.), and scannables (QR codes, etc.)". In May 2022, Nokia CEO Pekka Lundberg said technologies like embedded chips in our bodies will replace smartphones by 2030.
Furturist Ray Kurzweil believes BCIs will kill smartphones. The late Mark Weiser predicted ubiquitous computing (embedding technology into everyday objects). Apple has underscored the future potential of augmented reality (AR) and wearable technology by introducing products such as a mixed reality (MR) headset called Vision Pro and a MR operating system called visionOS.
Future alternatives to smartphones include AR glasses, smart contact lenses and wearable computers like advanced smartwatches and smartbands with features such as health monitoring, communication tools and even cellular connectivity. Non-invasive BCIs enable hands-free control, while flexible displays combine portability with larger screens. The transition is likely to happen in stages since we currently use our smartphones not just for
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