Over the past few decades, Apple has been at the forefront of a number of technological revolutions. From the Apple II and the original Mac to the iPod and the iPhone, there’s no denying that Apple’s long history of innovative products have fundamentally changed the way the world uses and interacts with technology. As a result of Apple’s illustrious track-record, the expectation for Apple to deliver the next big thing tends to be greater than it is for any other company on the planet. Indeed, calls for Apple to magically release a product capable of eclipsing the iPhone have been persistent for years now.
Interestingly enough, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak believes that Apple’s time as an innovative company may be coming to an end. As Woz explains it, this isn’t to say that Apple won’t continue to deliver exciting new products, but rather that the next great leap forward in the tech space will likely emanate from a completely different company: Tesla.
During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Woz said that Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be at the vanguard of the next tech revolution.
“I think Tesla is on the best direction right now,” Woz explained. “They’ve put an awful lot of effort into very risky things.”
Woz also intimated that Apple, not to mention other tech giants like Google and Microsoft, may simply be too big for its own good.
“Look at the companies like Google and Facebook and Apple and Microsoft that changed the world, and Tesla included,” Woz added. “They usually came from young people. They didn’t spring out of big businesses.”
It’s an interesting point, but Apple — more so than the companies referenced above — has shown a penchant for changing the world even as an established “big business.” Indeed, the iPhone release came hot on the heels of the iPod.
Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that innovation is not necessarily a zero sum game, which is to say that there’s enough room for the tech world to enjoy innovative new products and services from more than just one company.
Woz’s full interview can be viewed below:
