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

[Smartuser]

People are discussing questions like these on MacRumors about another new product with an imminent reveal from Apple, the AR/VR headset. Apparently, none of those concerns are stopping Apple introducing their own headset.

There are rumors that the first iteration is aimed at developers and not the general public, which is already signaled by the expected price tag (if true). It also at least promises to be much more interesting and transformative.

I already have a phone and a tablet, but no headset with the expected features of Apple's AR/VR headset.

They're also welcome to release a foldable iPhone if they see any promise in that. They may know something I don't.

 

[the future]

Was the OP incorrect? Is apple not the last to the foldable market wether you are interested in one or not?

Actually, the OP is „incorrect“ insofar as the OP assumes Apple is interested in this niche market at all and will release a foldable at some point (and would then indeed be „last“). We don‘t know this, though, and I sincerely doubt we‘ll ever see a foldable iPhome.

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.

Isn‘t this the definition of „niche“, though? What exactly is it that you do so often, on the go, on a still very small display, with those three very small windows? And is it something that many other people need/want to do?

 

[JoeDezibel]

It's true that Google's new foldable phone is generating a lot of buzz and excitement in the tech world, but it's important to remember that innovation is a process that takes time and patience. While Apple may not have released a foldable phone yet, they have always prioritized quality over quantity and are known for taking their time to perfect their products before releasing them to the public.

In addition, Apple has a track record of introducing revolutionary new technologies that change the way we interact with our devices, such as the touch screen, Face ID, and the App Store. They may be taking a different approach to foldables, waiting to release a product until they can ensure it meets their high standards for user experience and functionality.

Ultimately, it's not about who is first to market, but who creates the most meaningful and impactful innovations. Apple has a proven history of doing just that, and I have no doubt that they will continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with technology.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I'm not expecting foldables to go mainstream any more than phablets went mainstream. Surprisingly, phablets did go mainstream in the Chinese market, but not everyone wanted the largest smartphone.

Cleverly, folding phones fold the largest screen you can fit in your pocket, often come with cover screens for quick access, and contain a battery in each half of the device, so there are fewer compromises than one might expect. Still, they are as weighty as phablets, and yet some still prefer them. The foldable is the true phablet or phone-tablet since it folds an iPad mini-size display into a smartphone that fits in your pocket.

Phablets are main stream. What do you think the pro max and plus iPhone phones are.

 

[Shanghaichica]

This whole thread is a non-issue.

I had a foldable in 2008 and I'm certainly not going back.

First of all, they're too thick.

Second, when the iPhone came out, I immediately saw the advantage of NOT having to unfold anything every time you use your phone.

And third, of course a foldable screen is more prone to breaking. iOS is already as buggy as it can get - I don't want to add any other failure opportunities on my phone.

I’ve had flip phones in the past so a Z flip type of phone doesn’t interest me. The fold on the other hand is a more interesting prospect.

 

[Shanghaichica]

It's true that Google's new foldable phone is generating a lot of buzz and excitement in the tech world, but it's important to remember that innovation is a process that takes time and patience. While Apple may not have released a foldable phone yet, they have always prioritized quality over quantity and are known for taking their time to perfect their products before releasing them to the public.

In addition, Apple has a track record of introducing revolutionary new technologies that change the way we interact with our devices, such as the touch screen, Face ID, and the App Store. They may be taking a different approach to foldables, waiting to release a product until they can ensure it meets their high standards for user experience and functionality.

Ultimately, it's not about who is first to market, but who creates the most meaningful and impactful innovations. Apple has a proven history of doing just that, and I have no doubt that they will continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with technology.

I wouldn’t say they have introduced revolutionary technologies. The technology already existed, however the innovation was in the application rather than developing the technology itself.

 

[alchemistmuffin]

but it's embarrassing that the inventor of the modern smartphone was beaten to foldables by the competition

Sigh….. 🤦‍♀️ ​

You don’t get how Apple does technology, do you.

Apple is always late to competition on some innovation, like facial recognition to unlock and fingerprint authentication. But, when they bring it out, it’s PERFECTED, the way it should have been. The competition, when they come out with the product first, it’s crap. It doesn’t always work. In fact, it’s so inferior that people give up on using it. Apple on the other hand, it’s so perfect and that people will want to use that.

Also, take a look up Apple Watch. There has been smart watches and other fitness trackers out before Apple made it, but did any of those previous products turned out to be popular? Was it also very easy to use that people would want to use it every day, I don’t think so. Apple did the research first, and then finally came out with the product that people want to use it.

So before you whine about Apple, falling behind in technology, look at the competitors that came out with the product first. Is it very easy to use or is it very hard to use that people just give up on it after a few days?

 

[nicolhac]

Anyone else thinking Ives is glad he left Apple. So many design fails. I Hope they never go that low
They need to fix what’s broken now! Down to the charging of their unmagic mouse.
Course correction time Apple?

 

[klasma]

Foldables always seem a bit crappy to me, because even when fully opened the screen is still warped a bit at the crease and not completely flat. I bet this is something that irks Apple as well. In addition, they are really thick and clunky when folded.

 

[MysticCow]

t's embarrassing that the inventor of the modern smartphone was beaten to foldables by the competition.

It's also called "The Steve Jobs Advantage." Go look it up; it's an actual thing.

 

[russell_314]

This is nothing new. Apple was slow to get 3G, 4G and even 5G. I suppose it's embarrassing that they weren't the first one to create a smart phone. Perhaps if they were first it, we wouldn't be talking about it now because it might have failed.

Companies like Samsung and Google throw 💩 against the wall just to see what sticks. Whatever happens to stick they'll sell. Apple takes more time end comes out with a more refined product.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The first galaxy gear watch was out almost two years before the first Apple Watch, and…

Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatches have embarrassing 30% return rate

Samsung was too eager to get the Galaxy Gear to market early, and the result is a product that too few people want and too many people return.

venturebeat.com

It did not go well.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Also last time I checked, foldable phones are still around “10-15,000,000 units a year if you’re lucky” type of market.
Nice, yes, but a drop in the bucket compared to the 200+ million iPhones sold every year.
even the Mac averages around 20 million units a year, double what foldable‘s were just a year ago.
For reference, four years after the iPhone launched, it was already selling several million units in a weekend.
And even before Apple entered the smart phone market, it was still an around “1 billion devices shipped a year” industry.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

People are discussing questions like these on MacRumors about another new product with an imminent reveal from Apple, the AR/VR headset. Apparently, none of those concerns are stopping Apple introducing their own headset.

I think you misunderstand the criticism.
If Apple were to make a foldable today, just announce it, drop it on the website… I have absolutely no doubt it would quickly become the fastest selling foldable on the market, and it would easily outstrip Samsung’s market dominance within weeks.
But… there’s no benefit.
With the headset, there is a very clear end goal, to shrink it down into something the size of a regular pair of glasses… But with all of the functionality of an iPhone built-in. It’s going to take years to get there, but there is a clear end goal.
With foldables, there is no end goal. It folds. That’s it, that’s the feature.
It’s just an iPhone that can unfold into an iPad. You don’t gain any extra functionality, it’s the same operating system, it just… Folds.

 

[rgwebb]

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 think being last to the "foldables market" is exactly the right strategy given the state of technology to support such types of devices. Reckon Tim Apple still got some sense...

 

[oofio2461]

I see them doing this with technology that is actually advanced enough not the break screens in 5 years.

 

[Rychiar]

Apple doesn't make a touchscreen Mac either. My level of GAS is about the same for both.

Foldable phone is useless but a touchscreen Mac would be nice for us designers who currently have to switch to iPads for detailed pen work

 

[JustAnExpat]

*Hops in a Time Machine. Sets the dial to 2014*

Apple is the last in the smart watch market! Apple will go out of business if they don't release a smart watch now. It might even be too late for them to enter the smart watch market, and the days of Apple's success may be ending. https://www.wired.com/2013/02/why-apple-smartwatch/

*Sets Time Machine to 2008 *

Apple needs to make a subPC, like an EEE PC. If they don't, Asus will take the competition, and will drive Apple to bankruptcy! https://slate.com/technology/2013/0...illed-the-400-former-future-of-computing.html

*Sets Time Machine to 1993*

Apple needs to let other companies sell Apple compatible computers. If they don't, WinTel will take all of Apple's profits, and Apple will go out of business. https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_9205_May_1992/page/n21/mode/2up?view=theater

I wonder why this time it'll be different...

 

[Choco Taco]

Just what I wanted. An iPhone that costs twice as much as it does now.

*Sets Time Machine to 1993*

Apple needs to let other companies sell Apple compatible computers. If they don't, WinTel will take all of Apple's profits, and Apple will go out of business. https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_9205_May_1992/page/n21/mode/2up?view=theater

I wonder why this time it'll be different...

Well ironically, if it hadn't been for Microsoft helping them out, Apple would have gone bankrupt.

 

[Realityck]

Isn’t it time to say place bets otherwise you should fold and go on to iPhone 15.

 

[ignatius345]

it's embarrassing that the inventor of the modern smartphone was beaten to foldables by the competition.

Apple isn't always the first to market. They often hang back and let others fumble around and make the crappy versions (like you're seeing now).

 

[Shanghaichica]

*Hops in a Time Machine. Sets the dial to 2014*

Apple is the last in the smart watch market! Apple will go out of business if they don't release a smart watch now. It might even be too late for them to enter the smart watch market, and the days of Apple's success may be ending. https://www.wired.com/2013/02/why-apple-smartwatch/

*Sets Time Machine to 2008 *

Apple needs to make a subPC, like an EEE PC. If they don't, Asus will take the competition, and will drive Apple to bankruptcy! https://slate.com/technology/2013/0...illed-the-400-former-future-of-computing.html

*Sets Time Machine to 1993*

Apple needs to let other companies sell Apple compatible computers. If they don't, WinTel will take all of Apple's profits, and Apple will go out of business. https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_9205_May_1992/page/n21/mode/2up?view=theater

I wonder why this time it'll be different...

Well I had an EE PC and it was the biggest pile of crap I’ve ever owned. I‘m glad Apple did not go down this route.

 

[NeonNights]

Isn‘t this the definition of „niche“, though? What exactly is it that you do so often, on the go, on a still very small display, with those three very small windows? And is it something that many other people need/want to do?

That "very small display" is equivalent to an iPad Mini, yet easily fits in my pants or shirt pocket. I can be in a Zoom or WebEx call while still have Outlook and Teams open without having to switch between background apps. I can be in a group chat and do something in Gmail, YouTube, browsing the web, or scribble some notes without having to constantly swap between app screens. If you have any experience using multiple monitors at work or home then you can appreciate having multiple windows open on a foldable. The UX is just so much smoother and efficient.

And no, the windows are not tiny. You can dynamically arrange and scale each app window within Android. I know that's hard to imagine multiwindow working so well because iOS does it so poorly or not at all. Even with the bigger screen of the 12 Pro Max (or my 12.9" iPad Pro for that matter), I was limited in multitasking and constantly switching back-and-forth between different apps. You can say that's how we've always done it or it's always been like that, but that's a poor excuse in life. The Samsung Note series introduced multiwindow on a slab phone but the Fold 4 really makes it shine.

On the topic of niche, let's see how ultra-niche the AR/VR headset is. Apple can absolutely make a foldable iPhone but it would be severely limited by iOS at the moment. The software needs to improve to bring out the advantages and benefits of an Apple foldable. Right now, iOS isn't ready.

 

[mox358]

Apple never got into the Netbook market either and that turned out pretty well 😉

 

[Shanghaichica]

I can be in a Zoom or WebEx call while still have Outlook and Teams open without having to switch between background apps. I can be in a group chat and do something in Gmail, YouTube, browsing the web, or scribble some notes without having to constantly swap between app screens. If you have any experience using multiple monitors at work or home then you can appreciate having multiple windows open on a foldable. The UX is just so much smoother and efficient.

And no, the windows are not tiny. You can dynamically arrange and scale each app window within Android. I know that's hard to imagine multiwindow working so well because iOS does it so poorly or not at all. Even with the bigger screen of the 12 Pro Max, I was limited in multitasking, constantly switching back-and-forth between different apps. You can say that's how we've always done it, but that's a poor excuse. The Samsung Note series introduced multiwindow on a slab phone but the Fold 4 really makes it shine.

On the topic of niche, let's see how ultra-niche the AR/VR headset is. Apple can absolutely make a foldable iPhone but it would be severely limited by iOS at the moment. The software needs to improve to bring out the advantages and benefits of an Apple foldable. Right now, iOS isn't ready.

There is a convenience to that and the phone would be with you all the time. However, I’m nit sure I would want to give up my ipad mini in favour of a foldable phone.