We're already well into the season of tech product launches, which runs for the next few weeks as the big vendors set out the products they want us to buy over holiday season and into the next year.

But something that's recently changed is that many big vendors don't want to sell you just one product. 

Apple

• Unlock the best new features in iPhone 15, iOS 17, and Apple Watch with these tips
• iOS 17: The most impactful new iPhone features are also the ones you'll notice the least
• New iPhone 15 models compared: iPhone 15 vs. Plus vs. Pro vs. Pro Max
• One subtle (but important) reason to buy the iPhone 15 Pro instead of the iPhone 14 Pro

Instead, they want to sell you on their bigger picture -a whole way of life that could be yours. Naturally, it's a way of life that is only enabled by their gadgets -and the subscription services that they hope to sell you as well.

Also:What Amazon's device strategy is really all about

We've recently seen two of the biggest tech giants, Apple and Amazon, trying to do just that. 

These competing visions -- Apple's iPhone versus Amazon's Echo if you like -- also say a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of those companies, and how they see the tech world evolving in the next few years.

First up was Apple, with its new iPhone 14 and Apple Watches. For Apple, there's little doubt that the iPhone continues to be the center of its personal tech world, even if the Watch and AirPods are becoming increasingly useful connected elements. 

The smartphone in Apple's vision is not just a useful tool but a vital companion. It's one that can now even help if you are in a car crash or lost in the mountains. 

You could argue that these new features, which are only ever going to be useful in pretty obscure scenarios, are a clear sign that smartphone innovation is running out of niches to fill. But regardless of that, Apple's position is that the device in your pocket -- or maybe on your wrist, or in your ear (and maybe over your eyes) -- is the way to go. 

Then there's Amazon -- and the company is making a pitch based very strongly around ambient computing. 

Also:What is ambient computing? Everything you need to know about the rise of invisible tech

Its products -- most obviously the Echo speakers (new versions of the Echo Dot and Echo Dot with Clock, which arrived last week), but also its Astro robot, sleep-monitoring Halo Rise clock and more -- are not things you wear or carry but are devices in the home around you. 

Amazon

• How to turn your old Fire tablet into an Echo Show
• Trade in your old devices for Amazon gift cards. Here's how
• The best Amazon tablets: Play with Fire
• Amazon Kindle Scribe review: 7 months later, it's so close to perfect

Amazon's vision seems to be one where the intelligence is embedded in things that can learn about you, understand what you want to do, and then do it for you.

Neither of these visions of the future is complete. 

Apple sees the iPhone as the center of the tech world because that's where its success is located, and where its revenue comes from. It might dominate smartphones, but so far Apple hasn't made much of a success of the smart home. Amazon, of course, has dominated the smart home through its Echo and Alexa ecosystem. It built its own smartphone, but the project was a costly failure, which is why ambient computing in the form of a vast array of cloud-connected devices is where it sees the future going. 

There are other big differences between the two. Apple sees personal data as something its customers mostly do not want to share with Big Tech, whereas many of Amazon's services are based around learning more about users in order to deliver more personalized services. Neither really tell the full story about the future of tech: a smartphone or watch is not the answer in every scenario, but then again there's a long way to go before ambient computing can provide the same level of usefulness as being able to glance at a screen on a smartphone or on your wrist. 

These visions aren't mutually exclusive; indeed, many of us probably live in these worlds at once, using both Apple and Amazon products. But it's hard to see how they can be reconciled. Perhaps at some point another tech company will figure out how to combine the two different world views, but until then expect these competing visions to coexist, however uneasily. 

'S MONDAY OPENER  

ZDNet's Monday Opener is our opening take on the week in tech, written by members of our editorial team. 

PREVIOUSLY ON 'S MONDAY OPENER:

• Hybrid workers don't want to return to the office. But soon, they might have to
  
• The ransomware problem won't get better until we change one thing
  
• Apple's new iPhones will sparkle, but the magic lies in older models
• Quiet quitting' has nothing to do with lazy employees. It's about rejecting broken work culture
• Critical infrastructure is under attack from hackers. Securing it needs to be a priority - before it's too late
• Remote work or back to the office: Why the biggest challenges are still ahead
• NASA is blazing an inspirational trail. We need to make sure everyone can follow it