But something that’s recently changed is that many big vendors don’t want to sell you just one product.  Instead, they want to sell you on their bigger picture – a whole way of life that could be yours. Naturally, it’s a way of life that is only enabled by their gadgets – and the subscription services that they hope to sell you as well. First up was Apple, with its new iPhone 14 and Apple Watches. For Apple, there’s little doubt that the iPhone continues to be the center of its personal tech world, even if the Watch and AirPods are becoming increasingly useful connected elements.  The smartphone in Apple’s vision is not just a useful tool but a vital companion. It’s one that can now even help if you are in a car crash or lost in the mountains.  You could argue that these new features, which are only ever going to be useful in pretty obscure scenarios, are a clear sign that smartphone innovation is running out of niches to fill. But regardless of that, Apple’s position is that the device in your pocket – or maybe on your wrist, or in your ear (and maybe over your eyes) – is the way to go.  Also: What is ambient computing? Everything you need to know about the rise of invisible tech Its products – most obviously the Echo speakers (new versions of the Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock, which arrived last week), but also its Astro robot, sleep-monitoring Halo Rise clock and more – are not things you wear or carry but are devices in the home around you.  Neither of these visions of the future is complete. 

ZDNET’S MONDAY OPENER  

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