Alright, so apparently, a whopping 88 percent of teens in the US own an iPhone. Like, that’s a lot, right? This info comes from a survey done by some investment bank called Piper Sandler in April 2025. They also found out that 25 percent of the 6,455 teens they asked are planning to upgrade to the iPhone 17 this fall. That’s like, a 22 percent increase from last year. So, iPhones are pretty popular among the youth, it seems.
On the flip side, Android is kinda lagging behind in the US, especially when it comes to teens. Like, no one really cares about Android, apparently. But Sameer Samat, the big boss of the Android world, doesn’t seem too worried. He’s all about that positive vibe, you know? He’s talking about how Android is entering a new era and how they’re revamping their look with the upcoming Android 16. Apparently, they did a ton of research with over 46 studies and 18,000 people to come up with this new design. So, they’re trying to make Android cool again, I guess.
But wait, there’s more! Android is also diving into the whole smart glasses game. They’re trying to keep up with Meta and their fancy Ray-Ban camera glasses. Google’s Android XR thing is all about creating a new platform for smart glasses. They even got brands like Gentle Monsters and Warby Parker on board to make these glasses. Samat is all hyped about it, talking about how they’ve made some serious advancements in the tech and how the industry is ready to innovate with them. Sounds pretty exciting, right?
Now, let’s talk about artificial intelligence. Google is going all in with this chatbot called Gemini, which is replacing the old Google Assistant. They’re putting Gemini in everything from Android Auto to smartphones to those new Android XR glasses. Samat is all about how Android XR is the first platform built for the Gemini era, whatever that means. Basically, they’re trying to make AI the center of everything they do with Android. Will it work? Who knows, but Samat’s son apparently learned how to do laundry with Gemini’s help. So, there’s that.
In the midst of all this excitement, Google is facing some heat from the government. The Department of Justice is on their case about selling off Chrome, and there’s some drama about the Google Play Store being a monopoly. Samat is all about how Android is super open and how consumers can choose other AI assistants besides Gemini. But, like, will Gemini be the only assistant on Android XR? And what’s the deal with the Play Store taking a cut of sales? Samat is being all mysterious about it, saying it’s too early to talk about. Sounds fishy, if you ask me.
Overall, Google’s got some big plans with Android XR and smart glasses. They’re trying to stay ahead of the game, especially with Apple rumored to be making their own smart glasses soon. It’s like a tech race to see who can get their gadgets on your face first. But hey, who knows what the future holds, right?
