Apple is a leader in the mobile sector, but Tim Cook asks to leave smartphones and go out into nature more

The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, has shared his vision on the current use of smartphones, arguing that it should decrease and, rather spend the day scrolling through the screen, go out and enjoy naturesomething contradictory being one of the main leading manufacturers of mobile devices.

The company turned 50 on April 1, a period of five decades in which it has managed to win over the public with its diverse range of devices and services, always at the forefront and references for the rest of the companies in the sector.

Among the diverse range of products offered under its personal technology philosophy, the iPhone have been one of its fundamental pillarsmaking the technology company one of the main manufacturers in the sector. In fact, currently, it continues to remain the leader among users: one in every four active smartphones globally is an iPhone.

Precisely within the framework of his 50th birthday, CEO Tim Cook has expressed his vision on the use of smartphones for everyday life and, despite being such a relevant device for Apple, he has encouraged users to use them less.

“I don’t want people to use them too much,” he stated in a recent interview with Good Morning America, where he made reference to the need for more limited use of mobile devices to maintain personal relationships and take care of the health of users.

“I don’t want people to look at their phones more than at other people’s eyes, because if They do nothing but move non-stop through the screenthat’s not the way you want to spend the day,” he said, while encouraging the users to go out and “enjoy nature.”

This concern about how people use technology and devices in their daily lives is due to the prolonged use of smartphones today. For example, in the case of Spain, a 78 percent of users spend more than four hours in front of a screen and, of them, 80 percent prefer the smartphone, according to a 2024 study.

Furthermore, the use of the mobile device is not restricted to a specific time of day, but has become an indispensable complement that is always at hand. So much so that 80 percent of Spaniards take it to the bathroom and 5 percent more to bed.

This use is accentuated among minorswho spend a average of four hours a day connected to screens outside the classroomsin their leisure time, according to a study by Qustodio. In part, this is due to the social networks and their operation designed to create addictionas has been proven in the recent trial held in the United States, which has forced Google and Meta to compensate a young woman for crises derived from her addiction to networks.

Following this same line, several countries are moving forward to legislate and prohibit access to social networks for those under 16 years of ageincluding France, the United Kingdom, Spain or the European Union.

Taking all this into account, given that the continued use of mobile devices and related applications can have harmful consequences for health, Apple’s CEO is committed to putting the device away and going out, despite Apple’s global leadership.

INNOVATION AND AI

Beyond the use of the smartphone, Cook has also put on the table the innovation of your products from “reinventing the smartphone” to “incorporating creative arts” or “saving lives” with their smart watches.

Likewise, he has highlighted the relevance of artificial intelligence (AI) for technology, with the potential to be “transformative”. “I think artificial intelligence is something very profound and It can have a very positive impact, but, you know, technology is not intended to be good or bad. It depends on the user and the inventor,” he concluded.