I absolutely loved my original StarTAC and Razr flip phones. They were elegant, purposeful, and iconic—back when Motorola ruled the cell phone world and phones were, well, phones. Fast-forward to April 24, 2025: the , powered by Perplexity AI, might be the first phone in years that makes me rethink my relationship with my iPhone (and my Galaxy, too … don’t ask).
Apple redefined mobile computing with its slogan, “there’s an app for that,” but in the emerging age of AI agents, the app metaphor feels outdated. Why tap and swipe through dozens of apps when a capable AI agent can do everything faster and more intuitively?
Apple, for all of its innovation, has postponed its “agentic” Siri upgrade and is far behind in the AI deployment race. Meanwhile, Motorola’s bold move to preload Perplexity as a first-party assistant on its flip phones isn’t just about features; it’s a paradigm shift. The assistant isn’t buried; it’s the interface.
The return to the flip phone form factor isn’t just nostalgic, it’s liberating. If an AI agent can handle my calendar, messages, email, shopping, search, and simple tasks, do I really need an app-centric device? After all, there's an agent for that!
Now, an important footnote: Motorola is a Lenovo company, and Lenovo is Chinese-owned. This is bound to raise questions about data security, supply chain integrity, and national origin trust. In a world increasingly shaped by tech nationalism, these issues can’t be ignored.
Moto may have a hit or a flop, but this should not distract us from the bigger shift underway: the future isn’t app-based, it’s agentic.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
P.S. If you're heading to POSSIBLE (April 30 | Miami), please join us for the Shelly Palmer Innovation Series VIP Breakfast presented by 3C featuring Mark Cuban, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Michael Kassan, and me. Register .
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
