Apple Aims to Continue Selling iPhones as It Reaches Its Centenary

Apple has a distaste for nostalgia. In 2008, as the Macintosh approached its 25th anniversary, I brought it up with Steve Jobs, who quickly ended the conversation. “If you dwell on the past in this industry, you’ll be overwhelmed,” he stated coldly. “Focus on the future.” Now that Apple’s 50th anniversary is approaching, though, the company is reluctantly participating in various concerts and commemorative events, while we are bombarded with books, articles, and oral accounts about the company’s early days.

Instead of following the trend of reminiscing, I suggested Apple take Jobs’ advice—look ahead. What vision does Apple have for its next 50 years?

Earlier this month, I had a conversation with two senior executives on this topic. One was Greg Joswiak, aka Joz, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing, who has been with the company since 1986. The other was John Ternus, SVP of hardware engineering and a potential successor to Tim Cook as Apple’s CEO, who has also been with Apple for 25 years. I briefly spoke with Cook himself right before Alicia Keys performed in front of the Apple Store at Grand Central Station—marking the start of Apple’s somewhat extravagant anniversary festivities.

After acknowledging Apple’s unusual party atmosphere—“this is too special” to overlook, Joswiak admits—we turn our attention to the future. Since initiating the personal computer revolution, Apple has successfully navigated numerous pivotal moments. With the Macintosh, it perfected the graphical user interface, making computers more user-friendly. The iMac set the stage for the internet boom. Despite a late entry, Apple dominated the mobile revolution with the iPhone. These products remain crucial—just this month, Apple launched the much-anticipated Macbook Neo, the latest iteration of a 42-year-old line. But the future is leaning towards AI—a field where Apple has yet to make a significant impact.

The executives have a different view. They assert that Apple is leading the AI revolution. “We were implementing AI long before it was termed AI!” claims Joswiak. “All the top chatbots function exceptionally well on our products.” Ternus contends that even if Apple isn’t at the forefront of AI tech development, it will still reap the rewards. “Our devices are the prime environment for users to experience existing AI tools.”

I challenge them on this. If we are envisioning decades into the future, shouldn’t we anticipate moving beyond our current computing models to something specifically designed for the potential of AI? This seems to be what Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive is pursuing with OpenAI. They’re just one competitor in the race to develop new hardware tailored for AI. “I assume you want one of those devices to be made by Apple, right?” I asked.

The response appeared to be not necessarily. “Let’s remember that nothing you just mentioned is at odds with the iPhone,” says Joswiak. “The iPhone isn’t going anywhere. It will remain central to everything you’re discussing.”

Wait—does Apple believe people will still be using the iPhone 50 years from now?

“It’s hard to envision otherwise,” Joswiak replies. “That’s where others face challenges. They lack an iPhone, so they’re scrambling for alternatives. Much of what they propose eventually becomes auxiliary to an iPhone. We won’t delve into future plans, but I assure you, iPhones are not going anywhere.” (Despite this confidence, I would be surprised if Apple doesn’t unveil some AI-integrated gadget in the coming years.)