Mark Zuckerberg attacks Apple and fuels competition for innovations

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, is once again causing a stir in the technology world. Following the announcement of significant changes at Meta, he took the time to express his views on current developments in the industry in a podcast with Joe Rogan. In doing so, Zuckerberg continues his well-known criticism of Apple and does not hold back. Facebook recently faced criticism over the end of fact-checking on the platform and switched to a system similar to X's Community Notes. Zuckerberg barely addressed this but focused on targeting a competitor. In clear terms, he criticized Apple and once again accused the company of blocking innovations, which already led to tensions in 2020 when he branded Apple's actions as user-unfriendly and innovation-inhibiting. In the podcast, Zuckerberg went even further and claimed that Apple has produced nothing substantial since the introduction of the iPhone under Steve Jobs. He complained about the lack of progress in innovations and business models and questioned Apple's revenues from the 30-percent developer share. Although he praised the AirPods, he criticized the limited use of the protocol that Apple developed for seamless connectivity. In his opinion, this prevents competition and innovation in devices compatible with iPhones. Zuckerberg firmly believes in an upcoming surpassing of Apple by a competitor if Apple does not show more innovation. At the same time, Zuckerberg is closely following Apple's activities in the field of smart glasses. Meta's Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses are attracting interest, but according to a report from November 2024, Apple might also be working on this technology, driven by the Vision Pro success story. This could make Apple's smart glasses the ideal successor to the current innovation boost in wearables. Although little is currently known about Apple's progress in this area, Zuckerberg's concern and simultaneous criticism suggest that a race in technological innovation between the giants is in full swing. Should Apple indeed make progress in this field, it could be the much-needed innovation to break free from the current innovation crisis.