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Is This Apple’s Nokia Moment?

Is This Apple’s Nokia Moment?

With Google’s AI blitz, Apple’s slow-and-steady playbook suddenly looks ancient. Can Cupertino catch up, or is the magic finally running out?

Cosmo Scharf
May 20, 2025

Hey everyone, it’s Cosmo.

Could AI be Apple’s Nokia moment?

Apple’s long reign as the king of “what’s next” looks shaky. At today’s Google I/O, Sundar and company just showed us what “moving fast and breaking things” really looks like: generative image, video, and audio tools ready to ship; wild new AR glasses and XR hardware; Gemini AI baked into every corner of Google’s world. It’s a vibecoder’s playground. It’s also a gut check for Apple.

When I look at how deeply AI now powers everything Google does, I can’t help but ask: is Apple still the pace-setter, or have they become the safe, slow-moving empire they once disrupted? I grew up on the iMac, iPod, and iPhone—products that redefined cool and made Apple a trillion-dollar juggernaut. But empires fall. Nokia was untouchable… until it wasn’t.

My first iPhone was the 4s, back in 2011. Siri was magical then—a voice assistant that felt like the future. But over time, Apple’s AI magic faded, while Google and Amazon’s voice products quietly became less embarrassing and more useful. Apple still has cash, design chops, and a rabid fanbase. I wouldn’t count them out. But as Mark Gurman recently put it:

“Apple became the world’s most valuable tech company by methodically releasing exquisite products… AI is proving to be a faster, messier and more intrusive business.”

Maybe Apple’s legendary patience and perfectionism just doesn’t translate to the breakneck pace of AI. Or maybe—just maybe—they’re about to pull a rabbit out of their hat at WWDC next month and remind us who invented the modern smartphone.

I’m rooting for them. But if they stumble, we might just be watching history repeat itself.