The smartphone era created an attention crisis. Slowtech is fixing it

TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIAppsDisrupt 2026 EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Image Credits:Westend61 / Hardware The smartphone era created an attention crisis — slow tech is fixing it Amanda Silberling 10:16 AM PDT · June 18, 2026 When Tony Fadell entered New York City’s 28th Street Subway Station, he did not expect to come face-to-face with an advertisement for a product he designed over 20 years ago. But there it was: a five-by-four-foot poster promoting the iPod Shuffle, luring passersby with the promise of “zero screen time.” “The first thing was, I thought, ‘Wait a second, did somebody not change the ad?’” Fadell, known as the father of the iPod, told TechCrunch. This technology that we take for granted makes Steve Jobs’ early iPod tagline — “one thousand songs in your pocket” — sound antiquated.

A Back Market ad in the New York City SubwayImage Credits:Tony Fadell (opens in a new window) The postage-stamp-sized iPod Shuffle, which relied heavily on shuffle playback and offered little control compared to today’s streaming apps, should not appeal to a modern audience. But we have become so entrenched in technology that our various devices, apps, and algorithms mediate our every experience, from grocery shopping to dating. We’ve built smartphones that can do almost anything, but we’ve also created a constant connectedness that has become more exhausting than enriching.

But Howard says that demand is growing for this supposedly obsolete tech — if these devices weren’t driving sales, the company wouldn’t have shelled out for a premium ad placement in a hectic New York City subway station. For younger generations who have never known a world without social media and smartphones, there’s a certain magic to wired headphones, retro gaming consoles, CDs, and digital point-and-shoot cameras. They crave experiences that aren’t trying to monopolize their attention.

Old-school cameras can’t upload photos to your Instagram story, retro games don’t spam you with gambling ads, and iPods can’t automatically play music that you’re algorithmically destined to enjoy. That’s the whole point of this movement, which Howard calls “slowtech.” var playerInstance_jwplayer_6a78a0adab680 = jwplayer( "jwplayer_6a78a0adab680" ); playerInstance_jwplayer_6a78a0adab680.setup(); “The ‘fast tech’ up until now has been all about eliminating friction… [Now], people are seeing friction as a way to create boundaries for themselves,” Howard said. Now, investors are just as incredulous when he pitches them on his screen-time reduction app, MOQA, which he is building to counteract the very phenomenon he helped create.

It’s a product design problem.” This desire to cut back on the time we spend using our phones, computers, and TVs has become ubiquitous — about 53% of American adults say they want to reduce their screen time. He now pays for Opal and Freedom, two apps designed to limit his screen time and social media use. But I certainly don’t want to be wasting my time doomscrolling.” “I want to be very clear… I don’t feel smug about this.

It’s embarrassing to have two different apps to limit how I use this,” Kasulke said. I just think the way I was using [my phone] was worse and dumb, and now it’s a little bit less dumb.” Others have given up their iPhones altogether, opting instead for flip phones, e-ink devices that run Android software, or minimalist touch-screen hardware like the Light Phone. person holding a light phone iiiImage Credits:Light Phone “Our customers for the last 10 years are telling us ho