AI hardware may end up looking more like fashion than a single device

SimonBalmain · x · 2026-08-04

Simon Balmain argues that future hardware culture may resemble fashion more than today’s “one primary device” mindset.

Core idea

Owning and switching between many devices could become normal, like rotating outfits.
He says his own work already overlaps across 7–8 devices because the real state lives in the cloud.
Because of that, he plans to buy much more hardware.
He dismisses the common “I can already do that on my phone” critique of AI hardware, saying it doesn’t fit people who want a multi-device life.

It’s less a product claim than a worldview: hardware as a maximalist, identity-driven stack rather than a single all-purpose device.

More from Embodied