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Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast this week, expressing his thoughts on Apple. The Meta CEO specifically critiqued the company’s lack of groundbreaking innovations and the complex ecosystem that surrounds it.
Zuckerberg stated, “They haven’t come up with anything great in a while. It’s like Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, and now they’re just relying on it 20 years down the line,” during his conversation with Rogan.
The interesting twist? Meta—previously known as Facebook—once attempted to carve out a space in the smartphone market. This effort extended beyond just social media applications to include actual hardware as well.
In 2011, the company teamed up with HTC to release two smartphone models. The ChaCha featured a QWERTY keyboard with a dedicated Facebook button designed for easy access to the social media platform.
Then came the HTC Salsa, which maintained the Facebook key but opted for a full-screen design. Unfortunately, neither device saw a follow-up. Users reported issues with poor build quality, lackluster internal specs, and an unsatisfactory camera performance.
In 2013, Zuckerberg sought another collaboration with HTC to develop a customized Android experience called Facebook Home. This software received positive feedback for its design and usability on the HTC First smartphone.
Yet, the concept of a phone heavily integrated with social media struggled to resonate with consumers, particularly before Facebook faced scrutiny over privacy issues.
Ultimately, Facebook failed to captivate the market and fell short in the competition against the growing popularity of iPhones and even struggled to establish a presence in the Android ecosystem.
Zuckerberg does not appear to hold a grudge over these setbacks; rather, he genuinely expresses concern about Apple’s diminishing innovative spirit. In his view, this decline is negatively impacting their sales.
“I’m not even sure they’re selling more iPhones these days,” he remarked to Rogan. “Part of the issue is that each new generation doesn’t significantly improve, so consumers are taking longer to upgrade than before.”
He may have a point; Apple has indeed struggled to keep pace with the rapid innovation of Chinese competitors in the smartphone sector. However, this hasn’t stopped the company from continuing to sell a substantial number of phones.
In fact, Apple remains strong in sales across tablets, smartwatches, and computers. Zuckerberg can’t exactly claim that Facebook has shined in those areas either. Meta’s successful entry into the XR hardware market only occurred after it acquired Oculus for a hefty price.
Reports indicated that in 2022 Meta shelved its ambitious smartwatch initiative. Additionally, the company also discontinued its Portal smart display line, which had a short-lived presence in the market.
During his nearly three-hour discussion with Rogan, Zuckerberg also addressed Apple’s restrictive platform policies, citing AirPods as an example.
“They’ve really limited the ability for others to create products that can connect to the iPhone in a similar manner,” he commented.
He also delved into the controversial fee structure of Apple’s App Store, which has faced numerous antitrust challenges.
“So, how does Apple continue to profit as a company? They essentially do it by squeezing others,” he noted, referencing the 30% commission charged for apps and in-app purchases on the App Store.
Apple has made some adjustments in its policies recently, allowing for external payment solutions in response to various antitrust investigations and the European Digital Markets Act reforms.
This insightful interview is particularly timely, given the significant changes occurring at Meta in recent days, including the termination of its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Moreover, Meta has also decided to discontinue its independent fact-checking system for Facebook and Instagram amidst various contentious moderation alterations that have sparked substantial concern.
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