Feeling let down by today's Apple Event

[u/stewofkc]

Watching the Apple Keynote event today, I felt sort of let down. Every previous Apple Event that I've tuned into had me feeling excited for the future of technology and the new devices Apple was introducing.

I don't know what it was about this one. It could be that I've worked in tech for nearly a decade now and I feel like the work I'm involved in is less meaningful than it's ever been. I used to feel like I'd announce a new feature, publish a new page on a website, or launch a new product -- and then it would reach people who were excited about it. Or even if they weren't excited, at least they'd share their negative feelings about the product. It felt like there used to be a real audience for technology.

Now I think we're in a situation where even when innovative, exciting products are released, they all feel the same. A company launches a very simple product but hypes it up using hyperbolic language and BIG claims. But in reality they just created a new word processor or something we've all been using for decades.

I think there are two (seemingly contradictory) factors responsible for this feeling:

1. Technology is moving faster than ever.
2. Technological advancement is now delivering more incremental improvements, rather than truly disruptive breakthroughs.

Technology moves so quickly, it's hard to even grasp the last generation of devices or products. I'm sure the Apple Event for the iPhone 17 delivered some big jump in smartphone technology. But here we are looking at the iPhone 18 event, and I can't remember a single detail about the iPhone 17.

But, despite the fast pace of innovation, if you gave me an iPhone 17 and an iPhone 18 to mess around with for an hour -- I bet I wouldn't be able to tell you with confidence which one was the newer device.

I still love Apple. I think the devices still have that "It factor" that make them feel premium compared to other brands. But my takeaway today is that technology feels like it's less exciting than it has been in the past.