Apple’s ‘innovation complacency’ could see it lag Google, Amazon in post-smartphone world, study says
Market research firm says established device makers like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are ‘not currently as well set up to drive future innovation’
By Arjun Kharpal
Apple could fall behind Amazon and Google in the “post-smartphone era” due to “innovation complacency,” a market research firm said Wednesday.
ABI Research defines the post-smartphone world as one where new, hands-free interfaces — such as those that use the human voice — need to be developed. This will include more artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and virtual reality.
The research company made an assessment of patent portfolios, research and development spend, acquisitions and contributions to open source communities to evaluate and compare 10 major technology players from Facebook to Microsoft and Samsung .
It concluded that Amazon and Google will “lead and drive innovation around smartphones and related ecosystems” in the next six years.
“This next wave of innovation in the smart device ecosystem will be led by Google and Amazon, as their apparent strength in major growth sectors, notably computer science, allows for a more flexible approach to next-generation user experiences that are essential for creating immersive experiences and brand-new ways of human-to-machine interactions,” David McQueen, research director at ABI Research, said in a press release.
ABI’s report said Apple will “lag due to innovation complacency.”