Aditya Agarwal, a prominent tech executive based in San Francisco and originally from India, has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the newly released iPhone 16 Pro. Agarwal, who transitioned from the iPhone 14 Pro, characterised his upgrade as a "waste of time" in a recent post on social media platform X.
Agarwal, who was one of Facebook's first engineers and served as its Director of Product Engineering, currently holds the position of Managing Partner at South Park Commons. His notable career includes a close relationship with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who attended his wedding in Goa in 2010.
In his social media update, Agarwal highlighted that he struggled to perceive any significant differences between the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro, which boasts a larger display and an enhanced chipset. "I ‘upgraded’ from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro. I literally cannot tell the difference," he stated. He further criticised the upgrade process, remarking, "It took me 24 hours to set up the new phone properly etc. It just feels like a waste of time."
Additionally, Agarwal expressed confusion over the anticipated "Apple Intelligence," an AI-powered system that Apple is set to introduce later this year to enhance user experience. "And I do not understand where this ‘Apple Intelligence’ is????" he remarked.
In response to a comment from another X user, Prashant Mahajan, who pointed out that "Apple Intelligence is promised update, not available yet," Agarwal remained unconvinced. He responded with a firm, "Show not tell. Ship, don't promise," emphasizing the need for actual product delivery over mere assurances.
When asked about battery life or camera improvements, Agarwal downplayed their significance, stating, "I had ‘paid for a lot of goddamn charging cables over the years’ and did not really care for more battery life."
The iPhone 16 series officially launched last month, but Agarwal's critique has resonated with many users questioning the value of their upgrades.