Evernote CEO Phil Libin believes that as wearable electronics supplant smartphones, apps and ads will increasingly feel out of place. Speaking at the MIT Technology Review Digital Summit, Libin noted that the convenience of wearables such as Google Glass or a smartwatch will rely on the instant delivery of information. Firing up an app or waiting on an ad would likely alienate users. Libin predicts that users will prefer ambient services that run in the background and move forward as needed.

“Apps are becoming irrelevant or becoming much less important,” he said on stage at the event in San Francisco. “I think the killer app for this thing [wearable computing] is hyper awareness. I basically want to have a Spidey sense.”

“Libin’s vision is undoubtedly shaped by the fact that Evernote sells services that could fit into the scenario he describes — they store notes and other personal information for you to call up later,” reports MIT Technology Review.

“Libin also argued that the dominant business model on wearable devices will be user subscriptions — like Evernote’s — rather than ads. The reason, he said, is that as devices get more intimate — with small screens just inches from the eyes — people will cringe at advertising.”

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Digital Summit: Internet of Things? Think of It as the Internet of Stuff, MIT Technology Review, 6/9/14