‘Sea of sameness’: Are smartphone makers out of ideas?

Over the years, cell phones have come in many shapes and sizes. From bulky phones with antennas and handsets that flip open, to modern devices connected to the internet, the mobile phone market has evolved dramatically since its creation in 1973.

Since then, phones have become more than just gadgets that people can play around with. They’re our calendar, our camera. In a lot of ways, they’re core to how we live our lives, and we’ve developed a dependence on them.

But innovation in the smartphone industry seems to have reached its peak. Beyond flashy cameras and more efficient chips, phone makers are struggling to find ways to entice consumers the same way they did years ago.

“We now live in this kind of sea of smartphone sameness,” said Ben Wood, chief analyst at tech research firm CCS Insight.

“I think we have moved to a point now with mobile phones where people aren’t kind of rushing out saying, ‘I really want to get that new phone,'” Wood said. “In many cases, it’s almost a distress purchase.”

So what does the future hold for these computers in our pockets? Watch the video to learn more.