So far all I see on foldable devices is the fold. I'm glad they're holding back. Maybe foldable phones are to phones what 3DTV was to TV's - a reasonable idea, but in the end no one really cares.
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Other Apple is last to the foldables market in the US.
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More like some can’t stand Apple not making a foldable iPhone that we can heavily criticize because it’s not the best and it breaks too easily. Like so many topics Apple is not a company that gets it jollies copying everything in a better manner, instead they are very selective with product trends and much more expensive foldables doesn’t mean much more sales.
There is no catch up, just the fact that pitching more expensive foldable iPhones is sharings one‘s misery on purchasing something not designed to last.
I don't use phones, but I don't get why there are foldable ones... if you want a phone, get a phone, if you want a tablet, get a tablet. Why pay more than both combined for a worst of both worlds experience? You get the low power from a phone and the weight from a tablet.
I have never once heard someone say "I wish my iPhone could fold". While I commend Samsung at producing and improving a rather remarkable device because whether or not you are onboard with foldables the tech now is quite amazing...but of course at a cost. The complaints I hear the most now is the size of phones and the weight (primarily) since there are smaller options, and paying even more money for something heavier and larger with no true benefit for the marjoity. The larger screen comes in handy and I am sure there are plenty that utilize it, but those that will use it already knew they probably would hence getting a foldable anyway, the majority doom scrolls and texts....
It's an interesting form factor that may have value someday, but at the moment it's unpopular in the market, poorly implemented and extremely expensive.
The guy next to me on the train yesterday had a folding phone and not only did it have a distracting crease, the crease was dimmer than the rest of the screen and the screen overall was much worse than the OLED screen on my iPhone 14. It looked washed out, not quite as bad as a TN panel but on that scale, and had a dull, plastic glossiness to the finish. What's more, the guy was watching YouTube on just half the screen! So he's burning battery to light twice the screen real estate he needs, a portion of which is distorted and distracting and all of which is inferior to a standard phone. And he paid twice as much to get there!
The guy next to me on the train yesterday had a folding phone and not only did it have a distracting crease, the crease was dimmer than the rest of the screen and the screen overall was much worse than the OLED screen on my iPhone 14. It looked washed out, not quite as bad as a TN panel but on that scale, and had a dull, plastic glossiness to the finish. What's more, the guy was watching YouTube on just half the screen! So he's burning battery to light twice the screen real estate he needs, a portion of which is distorted and distracting and all of which is inferior to a standard phone. And he paid twice as much to get there!
True, I have an iPad Pro 12.9 and work from home with a laptop and another external monitor. Also on my desk is a 43" 4K TV plugged into my MBA for personal use. I enjoy using all that gear and the majority of my work day is at my desk, but don't we all keep our phone with us while at work/home? The Fold 4 serves all my phone needs and is sometimes easier to unfold to do something rather than reach for my iPad or take my MBA out of sleep. I am considering selling or trading-in my iPad Pro because the Fold 4 is so much more versatile on a daily basis and really negates the need for an extra large tablet. In truth I didn't use the iPad Pro much when I had a slab iPhone, but I use the iPad even less now and prefer to open up the Fold 4 on the couch to read an eBook or watch YouTube.
When away from my desk or home, the Fold 4 allows me to stay connected/productive more seamlessly than previous slab phones. I skipped earlier generations of foldables and shook my head at the first Samsung Fold too, deriding it for all the same reasons you share (bulky, heavy, fragile, etc.). The Fold 4 finally shows foldables are ready for primetime and mainstream acceptance. The Fold 4 is more comfortable to one-hand than my iPhone 12 Pro Max, and reading an ebook or watching YouTube when home/out is immensely more enjoyable on a foldable than a slab phone and I don't have to carry a separate tablet.
Apple and Samsung still make great slab phones. Aside from not having flagship-level photo quality the Fold 4 is a great demonstration of the merits of foldables, and foldables will only continue to get better. Slab phone designs have plateaued and I think Apple should introduce a premium foldable iPhone Ultra -- of course this may cannibalize iPad Mini sales.
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Think about the differences between iOS and iPadOS, not a few changes added to Android to make this work. Its not something that is just a larger foldable iPhone that you would want.
Absolutely. As I've mentioned before, enhancements to iOS/iPadOS are integral to support multitasking/multiwindows if Apple were to make a foldable. Without the software there's no point to an Apple foldable.
No way Apple people would put up with the crease and it would be a warranty nightmare for Apple. Apple is smart to stay away!
Unlikely when the difference between an Apple foldable and an iPad mini might be somewhere close to $2,000.
I'll share this post with you about Dave at Dave 2D's review of what foldables are good at right now. But iOS and Android definitely need software optimization for foldables to make sense.
The crease is overblown, much like the iPhone notch. However, the new teardrop hinge design will eliminate the crease and make future foldables thinner.
After more thought, it may not be so easy for Apple to develop a foldable iPhone. Besides the software limitations of iOS, Apple would have to rely on Samsung for the foldable display (much like how Apple relies on Samsung Display right now for iPhones).
Dave Lee explains in this video how the Oppo Find N's hinge design minimizes its crease compared to other hinges. I believe this is an example of what you're talking about.
I was thinking about that, myself. Apple wants to reduce their reliance on Samsung, but Samsung produces most of the flexible OLEDs that are iPhone-quality. So if Apple chose to compete in foldable phones they would enrich their competitor/collaborator even more.
Apple owners would not accept anything but perfect! Heck for some Apple owners, perfect is not enough.
Hot take: I really don't care about foldables. Originally I did but with how expensive they are and the sheer amount of technical issues they have (most notably that big crease that will never go away) and I just don't want that. This is the one time I'm happy Apple is behind on something.
The notch is away from your content. The crease is not. Big difference. It's hard to ignore the crease when it's in the damn center of the display, and in the Z Flip's case slowly getting bigger with more use. Plus you can feel said crease everytime you touch the display, you know, THE MAIN THING ABOUT A PHONE.
Now do all the ones where Linus criticized foldables. If they don't expand to 16:9 there isn't any point. There's nothing useful in having a giant 4:3 screen.
Anything to discourage this behavior would greatly help in reducing my desire to barge right into people who walk with their faces down in a phone while simultaneously seeming to take up the entire sidewalk.
That doesn't negate my statement. I don't own an iPad. The majority of use for unfolding a device like that is going to be video watching. 16:9 is a bit extreme but something like 5:3 or 2:1 would be a more useful aspect imo, especially in a handheld. The Mini 6 is 1.5:1 which is why I'm strongly considering picking one up.
True, the Mini 6 is the sole iPad in a different 3:2 aspect ratio. When you say "there's nothing useful in a giant 4:3 screen" it hasn't stopped people from buying literally hundreds of millions of Apple tablets for everyday use.
Tim in 2020:
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