Apple CEO thinks there’s still innovation left for the iPhone

The first iPhone was released in 2007. This means that it’s been nearly two decades since Apple changed the way we use our phones. However, Apple’s iPhone releases over the past few years have been kind of boring. But according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, he thinks there’s still a lot of innovation left for the iPhone.

During Apple’s earnings call for the first fiscal quarter of 2025, a reporter asked CEO Tim Cook whether there was room for form factor innovation in future iPhone models. In response, Cook said, “I think there’s a lot more to come. I could not feel more optimistic about our product pipeline.”

Starting to feel stale

When the original iPhone debuted in 2007, it shook up the mobile industry. Today, the iPhone’s design has barely changed since the iPhone X ditched the physical home button in 2017. Apple has introduced subtle changes like screen size, camera technology, and battery life, but visually and functionally, the iPhone feels the same. Even features like Dynamic Island and Camera Control feel like gimmicks.

There are rumors that Apple is planning a new slimmer iPhone model this year, but we wouldn’t go as far as calling a thinner smartphone “innovative”.

However, we cannot entirely blame Apple. Other smartphone manufacturers, including Samsung and Google, face the same dilemma. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series doesn’t look too different from its predecessors, and Google hasn’t bothered much with the Pixel’s design.

In the earlier days of smartphones, we witnessed significant leaps in improvements with each generation. Those improvements have since slowed to a crawl. We’ve also reached a point where it’s hard to imagine how different our smartphones can get.

Is AI the answer?

AI is all anyone can talk about these days. Even Apple tried its hand at it with Apple Intelligence, but it’s a far cry from what competing AI services have to offer. At the moment, it doesn’t feel like a revolutionary shift in how we use our phones. It feels like another gimmick and marketing hype until Apple or another company can leverage AI to transform the smartphone experience.

A new successor?

If the smartphone form factor has reached its peak, what’s next? Some speculate that Apple’s smart glasses could be the next big thing and could potentially replace the iPhone. Apple has already made its first move into mixed reality with the Vision Pro headset. Recent reports claim that Apple is working on a pair of smart glasses. However, this transition is still years away. In the meantime, Apple needs to find ways to keep the iPhone compelling if it hopes to maintain its position in the market.