start-up founded by mobile industry veterans, is headed to Davos this week to unveil a smartphone operating system that puts privacy first.
Betting on a growing push by regulators worldwide to rein in the duopoly power of Apple and Google on mobile platforms, the Swiss firm is building a third option around the promise of data sovereignty. Founder Petter Neby, who already has one company selling high-design, low-tech mobile phones, is attending the World Economic Forum to get Apostrophy’s name in front of potential investors and government officials keen for a more competitive mobile landscape.
The Apostrophy chairman is building on what he knows. Neby founded Punkt in 2008, a brand of feature phones targeting people who want to stay in touch without being overwhelmed by “the distraction industry” of modern smartphones. And he’s relying on a depth of business expertise, appointing Steve Cistulli — who has 25 years of experience in the mobile industry — as CEO.
The company’s software, dubbed AphyOS, is built atop an open-source version of Android called GrapheneOS. It works by segregating apps to prevent tracking of user behaviour, not unlike the changes Apple implemented in iOS on iPhones that had a calamitous effect on Meta Platforms’ ad sales. Aphy will be able to run Android apps but won’t include Google’s Mobile Services or Play store by default. —
DOA. Nobody other than nerds and libertarians actually cares about privacy. The masses want their digital crack, aka Tiktok.