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Other Apple is last to the foldables market in the US.
- Thread starter 257Loner
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That was an easy decision though. As bad as netbooks were, the "appeal" was low price and Apple doesn't play that game.
I didn't buy into netbooks either and discouraged relatives from wasting money on that junk. Some things are just universally craptastic. Foldables can be a divisive topic but I think there's far more consensus on how bad netbooks were.
The size was the appeal for me and I enjoyed my Acer Aspire One. Speaking of which, I would love to have an 11" MacBook again.
Foldables suck. Yes, I have used the newest models.
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Agreed… I was having a bit of fun, but with a kernel of truth. That being that Apple doesn’t chase every market. I remember Jobs saying they had looked at netbooks and that Apple couldn’t figure out how to build one that didn’t suck. Price aside, maybe Apple can’t find a way to build a foldable that doesn’t have significant downsides. Sales numbers indicate that foldables aren’t a wildfire kind of hit.
So either the tech isn’t there yet or the market doesn’t exist yet - if it ever will.
I don't think its the hardware that's holding Apple back from a foldable. It is the software. Even now, their software updates haven't introduced any great features and they resort to listing new emojis as a feature highlight.
IMO, there's a much larger market for foldables than an AR/VR headset, especially a $3000 one. I am curious to see to see what Apple can do differently, but the price is pretty high and Meta struggled with their version at half Apple's price. I've tried the HTC Vive and don't have faith in VR headsets taking off, even one from Apple. A buddy worked at FB and then Occulus (now owned by Meta), and his wife offered to gift us a Quest 2 and we politely declined. That's how much we didn't want a VR headset, enough to decline even a free one.
IMO, there's a much larger market for foldables than an AR/VR headset, especially a $3000 one. I am curious to see to see what Apple can do differently, but the price is pretty high and Meta struggled with their version at half Apple's price. I've tried the HTC Vive and don't have faith in VR headsets taking off, even one from Apple. A buddy worked at FB and then Occulus (now owned by Meta), and his wife offered to gift us a Quest 2 and we politely declined. That's how much we didn't want a VR headset, enough to decline even a free one.
well, what's happening is that google/Samsung are quickly closing the apple gap. I have a Pixel 7 and when i use that and go to my iPhone 14 pro, the iPhone seem soooo outdated to me. I DO think apple need step up their game with different looking phones, lighter and more cutting edge.
It‘s 7.6“, the mini is 8.3“, so not quite „equivalent“. Also, not many people would describe the display size of the iPad mini as ideal for multitasking.
How often do you actually do this? Seriously, if this was a permanent scenario, wouldn‘t you rather do this on a larger laptop (or desktop) screen?
You make switching between apps sound like something very complicating when in reality it‘s one simple fluid gesture. Plus you get to use each app on the full display.
I really cannot appreciate this analogy because the windows on a foldable phone, in comparison, are just tiny.
Yes, in comparison to a laptop (or desktop) display they absolutely are.
Oh, please. Now you‘re claiming Apple would love to make a foldable but doesn‘t because iOS isn‘t ready? It is exactly the other way round: iOS is the way it is because Apple doesn‘t think foldable tech is worth it.
See, if you personally enjoy „multi-tasking“ on such a small-ish display, more power to you. Most people would rather use a device more suited to the task. Which is why, besides the other obvious problems (thickness, mechanical points of failure, price), foldables will always be a niche.
The original iPad Mini was 7.9", so very comparable to 7.6". So you consider a slab iPhone Pro Max screen large, but an iPad Mini-size display as small? The point is multitasking is a lot more doable and comfortable on a foldable than a slab phone.
I use the extra screen space and multitasking everyday. Easily comes in handy during the workweek, but also during the weekends when I have YouTube open while also chatting with friends or checking out online forums or social media. No, I certainly would not want to take my laptop everywhere that my phone goes, going out with friends, the gym, playing sports, shopping, or running errands. And it is questionable if a laptop battery will make it through an entire day like that, everyday.
You're actually pointing out the advantage of a foldable. I can do everything exactly like on a laptop/desktop, without the heft and bulk of those larger devices.
I used to think it was great swiping through apps too, until you realize there's an actual better way. Go and stay with what you know because that's "how it's always been", but it's undeniably more convenient having multiple apps open concurrently. If I want to copy/paste something from one window to another, or refer to something in an email while typing in another window, there's so much less tedium with a foldable and not incessantly flipping back and forth between apps. I loved my slab Android and iPhones in the past too, but a foldable is better and I have zero regrets ditching iOS. If you only have two apps open then each half of the inner display is dedicated to an app so you get the same "full app display" like on a slab phone.
Yes, iOS is still the limiting factor. An Apple foldable with today's iOS is literally an iPad Mini, so quite pointless. That is why I say iOS has to get better before an Apple foldable makes sense.
"VR headests: the modern equivalent to 3D TVs" is more accurate, both functionally and metaphorically.
I am so thankful you shared your personal journey with your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. If I didn't already favor foldables, your perspective would have won me over! Now I'm more excited than ever to see if Apple will compete in this smartphone category they have yet to.
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If people are buying and loving large screen smartphones, then they're gonna love foldables which fit the largest screen that can fit in your pocket.
Flip smartphones don't seem to offer a benefit over slab smartphones to me, so I'm not concerned whether Apple will make a flip smartphone or not. I realize some will enjoy theirs anyway, even though flip smartphones don't seem to be an upgrade to several tech reviewers.
I'd like to kindly point you in the direction of this foldable phone review by Dave at Dave2D. He explains what the foldable does well, which is multitasking, and what it doesn't do well, which is full-screen videos and video games. By watching this video, you will see how Android needs better software optimization for foldable phones. Software optimization is something that iOS would also need to accommodate a foldable phone from Apple.
Dave's review of the Oppo Find N is why I said in this post:
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I feel the same way. The way I see things is that the Android smartphone manufacturers are differentiating their smartphones from each other, and Apple's iPhone might seem like the bread-and-butter basic smartphone compared to everyone else's.
And that leads me to want Apple to catch up, time and time again. First, Apple needed to catch up to Samsung's phones' large screen sizes. Now Apple is catching up with telephoto zoom. And, of course, this topic is about Apple being last to the US market (if ever) with a foldable. Catch up, Apple!
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To all the angry 😡 faces…. LOL. Get a flip phone…. It’s folds. Problem solved.
Me too. I had a 701 model. As a general computer, it's garbage. As a tool used to display presentations, or as some type of controller, it'll be great. I actually wanted one when I was a teacher in Thailand just to control presentations.
Apple at the time had a large burn rate, but Apple didn't need Microsoft's money - they needed Microsoft's support. Microsoft needed Apple to prevent Microsoft from being classified and controlled as a utility by the US Government. So it was helpful for both.
Yes, that was during the Internet Explorer fiasco. They definitely needed each other, but Apple was in serious doodoo.
Are people still repeating that easily-disproven myth? Microsoft got caught stealing Quicktime code, and had to settle with Apple. As a result they bought $150 million in Apple stock and agreed to provide software support for Macs, including Office. While Apple was in trouble, they still had a few $billion left at the time, so $150M did not "save" them, and again, Microsoft did not "help them out," it was a legal settlement they would never have done voluntarily. Apple saved themselves by ditching their outdated boring junk and making products people actually wanted to buy (i.e. iMacs etc.).
How is it a myth? There was literally a TIME magazine cover with Steve Jobs thanking Bill Gates for helping him. I do see an article regarding the QuickTime code, but I think you're oversimplifying the situation.
It's a myth because it's not actually true. The idea that Microsoft benevolently "saved" Apple because either they were being generous (lol) or because they needed to prop up a competitor to save themselves from monopoly status (slightly more plausible but still false). I oversimplified slightly, because there were multiple lawsuits that were settled, not just the Quicktime one (which Intel was also associated with), and the settlement also involved additional cross-licensing between Apple and Microsoft, however those details don't change anything. The important thing is that it was a lawsuit settlement, not a choice, though the end result undoubtably did help both companies. If you want some more info, see here.
The Pro Max screen is big for a phone. The iPd mini screen is small for a computer. You try to make the phone a jack of all trades, which it just isn‘t for most people.
And much less doable and comfortable than on any other computing device I could think of.
Do you not sit at a computer during the work week? Do you not have a real tablet at home?
And during these activities you not only use your phone often, but also multi-task all the time? That seems a little baffling to me.
Well yes, in a pinch you can. In all other situations, the other devices are far superior for these tasks. But you always carry a thicker, heavier, more vulnerable phone. And up to now, the market has clearly spoken which trade-off most people prefer, don‘t you think?
On a more positive note, I‘m genuinely happy that you enjoy using the Fold and get the most out of it! I‘m not against a folding phone per se, it‘s just that the trade-offs don‘t work for me and I doubt anyone, even Apple, could tip the scale in this respect. If „iPhone Fold“ was somehow not (or only barely) thicker and heavier than a regular iPhone and just as sturdy, I would for sure give it a shot.
They weren't cool in '96 and '04, either. That's why they didn't last long. Moving parts aren't a good thing. They're a source of breakage and additional cost to the customer for repairs or replacements.Apple needs to make phones cool again. Foldables are cool, so Apple should make them. Phones haven't been cool since:
1996's Nokia 8110
2004's Motorola RAZR
2007's Apple iPhone
We've gone from a mobile phone being a cool status symbol to being an every day useful tool. Every day useful tools need to function, not be cool. I can still recall all my classmates RAZRs breaking almost weekly because they were a crap design. No thanks.