Mobile World Congress begins in Barcelona this week and promises all the wonder and excitement of fin de siècle Comdex, the definitive PC industry expo that used to occur in Las Vegas. Which is another way of saying: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I mean honestly, can you think of anything more boring than the smartphone business in 2018?
It’s no wonder that for the first time smartphone sales took a fourth quarter dive. Even Apple is experiencing unheard of (for Cupertino) softer-than-expected demandfor its iPhones, notably the $1,000 X. (To be clear, I am talking about Apple unit sales, not revenue, which was at record highs.)
Phone-based augmented reality has been disappointing, and, despite the advent of the insanely innovative Talking Poo, consumers simply don’t see much of a reason to upgrade their iPhones—or any mobile phones—as frequently anymore.