Not all weight loss is worth the effort

Smartphones have become so slim that customers are revolting, and manufacturers are expected to give this year's slim products a quick burial. Ultra-slim offerings by Apple and Samsung are reportedly forcing buyers to make unacceptable compromises in functionality, such as battery life. That manufacturers had to undergo a steep learning curve over the limits of acceptable miniaturisation suggests they may be running thin on ideas about how to keep consumers upgrading their handsets. The smartphone, as it exists today, appears to have maxed out its features, and every incremental improvement comes at a higher cost. Much like F1 cars, there is little left to improve in them.

That is an unsettling prospect for companies like Apple and Samsung, which have dominated the market through innovation. With hardware perched on the horizon of physical ability, the race has moved on to making the smartphone smarter. That is where AI enters the frame. But it requires a different kind of beast to house itself in. AI needs an always-on computing capability that current smartphones don't have.

There is a design issue here. A smartphone inside a trouser pocket is a dumb piece of gear relative to a pair of smart glasses that users can wear. AI companies are testing wearables that overcome limited means by which humans can communicate with their smartphones. The future is about rendering human prompts irrelevant so that machines can better analyse the environment and situations. Apple and Samsung seem content to sit out the AI dogfight and incorporate the victor's offerings into their devices. Until then, they will have to come up with design differentiators like flip and slim phones - some of which are bound to fail, even when flogged as niche products.