Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
The CEO of Facebook and WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg, Criticized Apple. The Statement Fuels the Rivalry Between the Technology Giants
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, participated in the popular podcast Joe Rogan Experience in an interview full of controversial statements from the billionaire. Among the topics discussed, his criticisms of Apple, the App Store policies, and the lack of significant innovations from the company in recent years stood out.
For the owner of Facebook, the giant is “sitting” on the legacy of the iPhone and has not presented relevant technological advances.
Mark Zuckerberg – The Criticism of Apple and the Issue of Innovation
Mark Zuckerberg pointed directly to what he considers Apple’s stagnation in terms of innovations. According to him, since the launch of the iPhone by Steve Jobs, the company has limited itself to small advances that do not justify the expectations created around its products. He stated:
-
Harvard scientists have created a tissue exoskeleton that does not look like an exoskeleton, with no rigid parts and reduced weight, using flexible cables and miniaturized motors to assist the ankle and hip, reducing the effort of walking by up to 23% in controlled tests.
-
The Caspian Sea intrigues scientists as it is neither officially a sea nor a lake: the largest lake on the planet holds a hybrid crust, submerged cities, mud volcanoes, and billions of barrels of oil hidden at the bottom.
-
Why did the sky turn blood red in the west of Australia and it wasn’t sunset? Discover what is behind the change that took over the horizon for miles.
-
The most feared warplane of the United States is over 70 years old, carries 32 tons of explosives, flies 14,000 kilometers nonstop, and has just been sent to the United Kingdom amid escalating tensions with Iran.
“[Apple] used the [iPhone] to implement many rules that I think seem arbitrary. I feel like they haven’t invented anything really big for a while. It’s like Steve Jobs invented the iPhone and now they’re just sitting on it 20 years later.”
The CEO of Meta also suggested that iPhone sales may be declining, as the latest models do not present innovations that encourage frequent upgrades.
According to Zuckerberg, this would explain Apple’s strategy of focusing on 15-30% fees applied to developers in the App Store, something he described as an attempt to “squeeze” more profit in a stagnant market.
AirPods and Meta Ray-Ban Glasses: The Blocking of Competition
Another point raised by Mark Zuckerberg was Apple’s behavior regarding the connectivity and integration of its products.
He highlighted that AirPods, despite being popular, were designed in a way that hampers competition. According to him, Apple uses a proprietary protocol that prevents other companies from offering devices that connect as easily to the iPhone.
Moreover, Zuckerberg mentioned that Meta faced barriers when trying to integrate its smart glasses Meta Ray-Ban with the iPhone.
The necessary protocol to facilitate the connection was denied by Apple on the grounds of security issues. Zuckerberg sarcastically commented on the justification:
“They say they can’t allow it because it would be unsafe. But it’s unsafe because they themselves haven’t created security in it. Now they use this as an excuse to justify the monopoly.”
This practice, according to Zuckerberg, reflects Apple’s stance of limiting external innovations while promoting its own products.
He suggested that if the company were more open, there would be competitors able to develop devices superior to AirPods.
The Blue Bubble of iMessage – Mark Zuckerberg
Another controversial topic addressed by Mark Zuckerberg was iMessage, Apple’s messaging service, and its strategy of creating blue bubbles for messages sent between iPhone users. For him, this design choice is a form of social exclusion, especially among teenagers.
“The whole thing they did with iMessage, they do this whole blue bubble, green bubble thing. For kids, it’s kind of like, they shame you, right? They say that if you don’t have a blue bubble, you’re not cool.”
This seemingly simple detail has a considerable psychological impact, creating a distinction between Apple users and those on other platforms.
According to Zuckerberg, Apple justifies these choices in the name of security, but the main goal would be to reinforce the dominance of its ecosystem.
RCS and Message Security
During the interview, Rogan and Mark Zuckerberg discussed Apple’s support for the RCS (Rich Communication Services) message standard.
Although the company has added support for the protocol in iOS 18, Zuckerberg criticized the fact that the RCS Universal Profile, currently used standard, does not offer encryption.
He emphasized that while Apple is working to improve RCS security in partnership with the GSM Association, the current protocol is still not a reliable solution to protect user privacy.
Vision Pro: Praise with Reservations
Despite the criticisms, Zuckerberg acknowledged that Apple has the capacity to launch impactful products. He mentioned the Vision Pro, the company’s mixed reality headset, as an example of innovation. However, he pointed out the high price of US$ 3,500 as a problem, comparing the device to Meta’s virtual reality glasses, which cost around US$ 300 to US$ 400.
“They sent something out for $3,500 that I think is worse than the thing we sent out for $300 or $400. So, that clearly wasn’t going to work very well.”
Zuckerberg stated that the Vision Pro is an ambitious attempt by Apple to explore a new market, but he believes that future versions of the product will have a greater impact.
He recognized that Apple has a history of improving products over time, but he believes that its initial approach to the Vision Pro is far from revolutionary.
Optimism for the Future
Despite the criticisms, Zuckerberg expressed optimism that Apple could be challenged by companies that are more committed to innovation. He stressed that the current pace of the Cupertino giant is not sustainable in the long run:
“I am optimistic that someone will take down Apple sooner or later. They are out of the game in terms of not launching innovative things.”
-
2 pessoas reagiram a isso.