Eddy Cue is in court today giving testimony as part of Google’s antitrust case related to search. And in addition to confirming an upcoming shift toward AI providers in Safari, Apple’s services head related to the iPhone’s future.

During today’s court proceedings, Apple SVP Eddy Cue commented on the rapidly shifting technology landscape due to AI, and its potential impact on iPhone.

Most of his remarks centered on AI’s upheaval on the search market, since that’s the main focus of the Google case he was testifying in.

But Cue also remarked that, due to AI, people “may not need an iPhone 10 years from now.”

Here’s the full quote :

“You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now as crazy as it sounds,” Cue said in a court. “The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts. Technology shifts create these opportunities. AI is a new technology shift, and it’s creating new opportunities for new entrants.”

Cue’s comment was likely an off-hand speculative remark. I wouldn’t take it as reflective of his actual belief regarding the iPhone’s future.

That said, the Apple exec was giving public testimony in a court of law where he knew his comments would be publicized widely, which gives the words a lot more weight.

Though Apple likely isn’t planning for the iPhone to disappear by 2035, AI does represent a major technology shift, and that could bring significant upheaval to existing consumer norms. Products like wearables could stand to benefit more than the iPhone, especially if voice-first, AI-powered computing becomes a bigger deal.

What do you make of Eddy Cue’s remarks on the iPhone and AI? Let us know in the comments.