Other Apple is last to the foldables market in the US.

[eyoungren]

This thread should have ended with this post honestly.
I loved the idea of foldables until I got to use them and realised they seem to complicate things that were never complicated before and create issues where issues never existed.

1. Outer screens tend to be too narrow (e.g. Z Fold)
2. The inner screens are incredibly fragile (even a fingernail can bring it to and end).
3. IP68 protection is basically a no-go
4. Expensive to repair
5. Battery life not up to par with the likes of 13 Pro Max, 14 Plus, 14 Pro Max, Pixel 7 Pro and S23 Ultra.
6. User interface and apps now needing to account for all sorts of weird aspect ratios, I am absolutely horrified by how certain popular apps like Instagram looks on some Foldables main/inner screens, you can tell that no effort is even being put in to try fix this.

Those are just 6 things off the top of my head, but each time I watch a review or a foldable or try it out I cringe a little at how much work and unnecessary complication they bring for a minimal benefit.

They are novel devices and I am glad they are helping to pay for the R&D around flexible display tech, but I have my doubts about foldable smartphones sticking around, I think the likes of Samsung may push on as they have the resources to, but I believe other manufacturers will eventually drop the idea and focus on other aspects (camera, UI, Display, Battery life and overall ecosystem) of their devices.

I stand to be corrected though, maybe much like they revived the Touchscreen smartphone and made it the new standard maybe Apple can do the same for foldables.

I think foldables are a great concept…for a sci-fi film or tv show.

People like to tell me that Apple can't get rid of the fugly camera boil on the back of the iPhone because camera technology just isn't there yet. Well, the technology for foldables just isn't there yet.

Manufacturers are trying, but so far it all just looks like a complex, easily broken, trial and error process with no reasonable chance for an elegant solution.

 

[Tsepz]

Yes and isn't all those so called tech companies doing real well right now? All three lost a lot more market cap in 2022 than Apple. Samsung was not having fun lately either. From last year:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1585629696363929600

Given the current economic situation, I do wonder how much longer they can keep this foldable stuff up before they choose to call it a day and focus on the stuff that makes money.

As it is, Android flagship devices do not sell in high numbers at least not comparable to Apple, I believe the only Android flagship that does make good numbers is the Galaxy S line.

It is going to be tough for mobile divisions of many of these manufacturers to keep pouring money into foldables and getting little to no profitability from these devices.

 

[redheeler]

I don't think I've ever even seen someone with a foldable in the wild. I've seen the Samsung Galaxy Z foldable in a store though. It's expensive and bulky, you get the annoying fold line, and a lot of content isn't going to be optimized to take advantage of its aspect ratio. This promotional image is hilarious to me as it's immediately clear how much of the frame would need to be cropped off the sides to make the show fullscreen like this.

Even as someone who likes larger-screen phones I can't see myself with this.

 

[macfacts]

Regardless of the brand, there’s no way I’m spending $1500-$2000 or more on a foldable smartphone if I can get an even bigger display through some cutting edge VR or AR solution.

Yes, foldables are pretty cool and have gotten much better as we’ve seen the tech progress.

But I’m pretty sure Apple is betting everything on being the first company to offer something that’s far less reliant on plastic-ey displays and hinges that will be worn down within a few years.

Apple can easily copy the rest of the industry and put out a foldable in the next 3-5-10 years if Apple’s VR/AR solution fails miserably.

But if Apple can make either of its goggles or glasses work and deliver something that’s as market leading as iPads or Apple Watch then we might just be looking at the future of personal computers and smartphones.

Foldables is just a way to do a bigger display on a smaller device, or giving you a better 2-in-1 smartphone and tablet combo.

But it’s not like it’s the best smartphone or the best tablet. It’s a high tech combo and compromise of the two.

Let’s just wait and see what Apple will do with AR/VR before we start.

Considering how conservative Cook is about moving into new product categories, I’d be very surprised if Apple VR/AR is a dud.

Moving the display closer to your eyes to get a "bigger screen" is not a good solution.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

Apple is just a corporation like any other, and it's ludicrous to pledge allegiance to a corporation. But I still have not been able to get anyone to explain to me why I would want a foldable phone.

 

[Realityck]

Apple is just a corporation like any other, and it's ludicrous to pledge allegiance to a corporation. But I still have not been able to get anyone to explain to me why I would want a foldable phone.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET had these thoughts about foldable phones. You can readily see they are almost worthless as far as innovation. So it's insanely difficult to justify why you really should even be buying them compared to a normal smartphone.
==========
But beyond the bending screen, they haven’t really pushed any boundaries. They haven’t changed the way we use our phones or brought any revolution that’s so groundbreaking that it alters the face of mobile altogether. They use the same version of Android, with only a few small tweaks to some apps to give a bit of additional functionality, but little beyond that. Really, they’re the same phone as before, but you can fold them in half. I find it very telling that I have the Galaxy Fold and Z Flip in my house, but they’re in a drawer among other past phones, and I don’t have any great desire to get them out again.

And you pay handsomely for that one fold feature, as all folding phones cost significantly more than their respective manufacturers regular flagships. This, in turn, means that adoption is low, which gives those companies — or third-party developers — little incentive to think of new and creative ways to use this technology. In time, folding phones may well be cast into the pile of other gimmicks, alongside banana phones, Samsung’s camera/phone hybrid and 3D phone displays.
==========
At least he makes us feel sorry yet laugh at this sad foldable phone situation. Sorry foldable phone providers Apple is not going to come to your rescue.

 

[Spock]

I just don't see the point, it is like having two phones stacked in my pocket. I thing the sliding phone concepts that have been popping up are much more interesting, pun intended...

 

[Abazigal]

Google is releasing a foldable whose images have been leaked.
Samsung is on their 4th-generation foldable.
Even Microsoft has a kind of foldable for sale.

Thanks to Google's new foldable, there will now be 3 foldables available in the US from major tech companies, and Apple, the inventor of the modern smartphone, will not be among them. I know Tim Cook is the "most successful CEO ever" when measured by the increase in his company's market capitalization, but it's embarrassing that the inventor of the modern smartphone was beaten to foldables by the competition.

I guess this also raises the question.

If Apple isn't doing something that a few other companies are, why does everyone automatically assume that it must be Apple who is lagging behind in innovation, and not these other companies who are on the wrong track?

 

[Tozovac]

I think the idea is that you can just fold it up and go. A large(er) device that folds up to a small(er) form factor.

Except, what’ll happen is: same form factor as today but a larger IPad mini screen. So no size benefit.

 

[eyoungren]

Except, what’ll happen is: same form factor as today but a larger IPad mini screen. So no size benefit.

Yeah, I'm not really a foldable fan.

Now if Apple made an iPhone that was somewhere between the size of the Plus/Max phones and the size of the iPad Mini, I'd be real happy.

But that has about as much chance of happening as a foldable does.

 

[257Loner]

I think foldables are a great concept…for a sci-fi film or tv show.

The thing is, smartphones, tablets, and smart watches were once sci-fi only tech until Apple reinvented them for the modern age. If Apple made science fiction a reality several times before, they can do it again.

 

[Realityck]

The thing is, smartphones, tablets, and smart watches were once sci-fi only tech until Apple reinvented them for the modern age. If Apple made science fiction a reality several times before, they can do it again.

But is foldable phone's closer to science fiction or that of the twilight zone?

 

[eyoungren]

The thing is, smartphones, tablets, and smart watches were once sci-fi only tech until Apple reinvented them for the modern age. If Apple made science fiction a reality several times before, they can do it again.

Apple sure could. But that isn't the point.

The question is will they? And assuming they did, would anyone buy one? Assuming anyone bought one, will enough people buy them for Apple to continue making them?

And that's where you're hung up. You want them to do this, but Apple will only do it if they can profit off it. So far, there doesn't seem to be any profit in it.

 

[SpotOnT]

Apple doesn’t make flip phones.

 

[monstermash]

Apple doesn’t make flip phones.

It doesn't make cars either.

Yet.

 

[oneseattleguy]

Too much complicated for me to use folding phones.

 

[Charlesrfinal]

Never had the desire for one. Doubt I ever will.

My 14PM has enough weight to it, screen is big enough too

 

[257Loner]

But is foldable phone's closer to science fiction or that of the twilight zone?

They're closer than you realize. That's the whole point of this topic: "Apple is last to the foldables market in the US."
Here's Google's:

Let each of these pictures be worth a thousand words, though coming not from Apple:

 

[dtm84]

foldable phone...but why?

 

[heretiq]

Google is releasing a foldable whose images have been leaked.
Samsung is on their 4th-generation foldable.
Even Microsoft has a kind of foldable for sale.

Thanks to Google's new foldable, there will now be 3 foldables available in the US from major tech companies, and Apple, the inventor of the modern smartphone, will not be among them. I know Tim Cook is the "most successful CEO ever" when measured by the increase in his company's market capitalization, but it's embarrassing that the inventor of the modern smartphone was beaten to foldables by the competition.

Apple’s heritage is not a pioneer, but a fast-follower. This is evident in every product category that Apple has participated in and ultimately dominated (personal computers, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Watch). The lack of an apple foldable is a sign that Apple has not yet concluded that the category is worthwhile.

 

[snipr125]

Everyone here getting defensive about foldables is normal as people don't like change, but foldables are the future just like EV vehicles. Yes the prices will be high initially, but will come down over time as the tech normalises and there will still be the candy bar style phones on sale for those that prefer them. Look at the Oppo Find N on its release in China, it sold out in 5 mins!

https://www.gizmochina.com/2021/12/23/oppo-find-n-sold-out-in-china-in-just-5-mins/#:~:text=Earlier%20today%20%2823rd%20December%202021%29%2C%20the%20OPPO%20Find,was%20completely%20sold%20out%20across%20all%20online%20channels.

When Apple release their version, people will be queueing up outside Apple stores en-mass like the good old days.

 

[The Game 161]

Everyone here getting defensive about foldables is normal as people don't like change, but foldables are the future just like EV vehicles. Yes the prices will be high initially, but will come down over time as the tech normalises and there will still be the candy bar style phones on sale for those that prefer them. Look at the Oppo Find N on its release in China, it sold out in 5 mins!

https://www.gizmochina.com/2021/12/23/oppo-find-n-sold-out-in-china-in-just-5-mins/#:~:text=Earlier%20today%20%2823rd%20December%202021%29%2C%20the%20OPPO%20Find,was%20completely%20sold%20out%20across%20all%20online%20channels.

When Apple release their version, people will be queueing up outside Apple stores en-mass like the good old days.

foldables are very good and I enjoy my fold 4 but i wouldn't say they are the future. They aren't likely to be the future due to high cost, cameras not as strong as stab phones and overall app quailty is hard to match normal sized ratio's.

AR/VR is the next step from phones is my guess. Foldables are basically along the same line of tablets i would say.

 

[NeonNights]

A foldable from Apple doesn't make sense until they fix the horrid multitasking/multiwindow support in iOS, and the albatross that is Stage Manager on iPadOS (and yes, MacOS too).

Foldables are great if you multitask and need access to several apps at once instead of constantly switching between background apps. On my Fold 4 I regularly have three apps open. The beauty and real benefit of foldables isn't all about the larger display, but rather multiple app windows. Sure, the larger display makes consuming content more enjoyable but my Fold 4 also allows me to be productive in ways that my previous iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro simply can't match.

There are a lot of comments griping about size and weight of foldables, but I'd like to point out my Fold 4 with screen protector and case weighs just 1 ounce more than my iPhone 12 Pro Max with screen protector and case. The Fold 4's battery life is better, yes better, than the disappointing 12PM and gets me through an entire day from-wake-till-sleep. Being narrower when folded, the Fold 4 actually fits in my front pants pocket more comfortably than either iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 13 Pro. Despite being a smidge heavier than my previous 12PM, the Fold 4 is better balanced and less prone to tip out of my hand like the top-heavy 12PM.

With regard to the thickness of foldables, let's not forget the iPhone 3G was 12.3mm thick. How many of you refused the iPhone 3G back then because it was "too thick"? The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is 11.2mm when folded/closed. It is not avaliable in the U.S. but the point is iPhones were once thicker than some of today's foldables.

I'm going to skip the crease because the only people who complain about it are ones that don't even own a foldable. Initially, I too feared the crease would be an issue but in real-life, everyday use, the crease is a nonfactor, just like how we all got over the notch. But if it really bothers non-owners so much, the next-gen teardrop hinge designs will eliminate the crease so you'll have one less thing to be paranoid about.

Lastly, there's price. Yes, an Apple foldable is going to be expensive, but so was my 512GB 12 Pro Max and 1TB iPhone 13 Pro. With available promos, my 512GB Fold 4 was cheaper than either of those iPhones. I have less storage, but gained a second display. If the front display gets cracked I can still use my foldable's second display. People balk at the price of a foldable but it's a lot more affordable than Apple's $3000 AR/VR headset. Let's be real, a foldable is a lot more practical than some fancy Apple ski goggles.

It's amusing that Apple's slogan is to "think different" yet so many Apple die-hards fail to do so. Before I get called out for trolling, keep in mind our family still has a couple of iPhones, Apple Watch 7 LTE, Air Pods Pro, M1 iPad Air, M1 iPad Pro 12.9, M1 Mac Mini, a couple of MacBooks, and planning to add another MacBook as soon as we learn what the rumored 15" MBA will be like at WWDC. I love Apple devices, especially MacOS, but I am less enamored with iPhones. Samsung really got the design right with the Fold 4 and it impresses all my iPhone friends and family. They are all blown away by what foldables can do. Strangers will chat me up to learn more about the Fold 4 from a "real user". At this point I can't imagine going back to a plain iPhone Pro/Pro Max. I don't even use my iPad Pro as much anymore since gettng the Fold 4. I would definitely switch back to Apple if they came out with a foldable but iOS would need true multitasking/multiwindow support first. Without this key software feature a foldable iPhone would be pointless, and Apple knows it.

 

[Basic75]

foldables are the future

There's a strong push to eliminate moving parts. Foldable phones go in the opposite direction. They're a fad.

 

[StoneJack]

Last but not least