How long do you think iPhones/iOS will be around ?

[pcslookout]

I know no one knows this for sure but what is your best guess ? 5 years? 10 years ? Longer ?

 

[Commodus]

I know no one knows this for sure but what is your best guess ? 5 years? 10 years ? Longer ?

Probably a decade or more longer. There's no clear substitute for a smartphone on the horizon, and Apple is practically the only major smartphone maker that's profitable (even Samsung's mobile division is hurting). Smartwatches might do the job for some if more of them gain true independence, but that's partly what the Apple Watch is for, isn't it?

 

[TheStu]

1000 years. iOS will power the computer systems of the future, from our stasis pods, to our holodecks, all the way up to our mightiest starships. /sarcasm

I'd say 10 years is a safe bet. Whether there'll be iOS Next (or whatever) in its place at that time... I can't say. Though I suppose if the Watch becomes (much) more capable, the iPhone could become less relevant, and people would have Watches and iPads.

 

[cyclohexane]

5 years before they become commodities, with cheap Xiaomi and Huawei phones destroying their hold on the market.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

It would very much surprise me if whatever is the then-current iteration of the iPhone isn't still around, and a significant market factor, for a very long time. It's hard to predict how future products might look or work, but I have to think we will continue to have phones in some form, and Apple will continue to be at or near the top in terms of user experience and feel for a long time.

 

[Midwayman]

The only thing I see on the horizon to replace smartphones are wearables. They're a long ways off and who knows if they'll ever be accepted. I could see AR glasses becoming a thing. For some people a smart watch might be enough in a few generations.

 

[Rakehellion]

If you mean iPhones, at least another 20 years.
If you mean Apple-branded devices, 50 years.

If you just mean smart mobile devices, forever.

 

[JasonCoder]

I'd bet at least until we have direct retina projected devices. Our children will scoff at the old folks that had to use "screens".

 

[Subyman]

Apple will need to figure something out soon or a new product branch to go down because people are not raging about phones as much as they used to.

 

[Beer4Me]

Apple will need to figure something out soon or a new product branch to go down because people are not raging about phones as much as they used to.

You say this yet, people on the Android side of things are constantly "raging" about new releases/phones.

 

[TheStu]

I'd bet at least until we have direct retina projected devices. Our children will scoff at the old folks that had to use "screens".

Like from Back to the Future II, when Marty McFly is showing Elijah Wood (I don't know the character's name, but I know it's Elijah Wood) how to play the game in the diner. "You mean you have to use your hands? Lame."

 

[dclive]

5 years before they become commodities, with cheap Xiaomi and Huawei phones destroying their hold on the market.

This.