For my own use, I see some benefits in having a foldable, but I’m not sure I would choose an Apple version. 🤔
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Other A Foldable iPhone will Flop
- Thread starter Pbwallstreet
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I want an ipad mini often, but I already have a phone and an ipad air and a third device in this class is absurd. I also sometimes want a bigger screen on my ipad but also want at least something tabletish that’s more portable than the 13” devices, so I stuck with the smaller size. I’ll likely bump my phone up to the foldable and my ipad up to the bigger size next upgrade cycle, which should cover the 3-4 general categories I want touch devices in with 2 devices.
Do you not even read the many responses to your absurd "there aren't clear use cases of why someone would want to convert a smartphone into a tablet" ?? Note that a fold device is an additional available device choice, and does not suggest that flat phone or flat tablet choices go away.
A larger tablet-sized display very obviously potentially facilitates:
• Better viewing of still photos.
• Better viewing of video.
• Better viewing of fields of text.
• Better viewing by the large percentage of the population with vision impairments.
• Better gaming.
* * * While still fitting into a pocket of course. * * *
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I think the OP missed the more important bit, which is App compatibility. I would expect the Universal apps to show the iPhone version in the exterior screen and iPad version on the interior. But if the rumors are true, while unfolded the screen will be more square than an iPad and the external screen will be noticeable smaller than current standards, which may impact some apps if not properly implemented.
But the big point is, what will happen with non universal apps? Would they be supported? There will be a compatibility mode a la iPad while unfolded? Would you be able to run only iPad apps while unfolded? Or will they require Fold native apps? The latter will be a killer as given the expected price point, not many developers will put effort into adapting apps for just a minority.
But the big point is, what will happen with non universal apps? Would they be supported? There will be a compatibility mode a la iPad while unfolded? Would you be able to run only iPad apps while unfolded? Or will they require Fold native apps? The latter will be a killer as given the expected price point, not many developers will put effort into adapting apps for just a minority.
I already answered this in my original response to your post:
So the two pain points a foldable, if offered in a Z-Flip size, addresses are:
1) pocketability (especially important to men, who typically don't carry purses or handbags; but also important to women who don't carry a purse or handbag, since their pants tends to have shorter front pockets than men's).
2) holdability (especially important to women, since they tend to have smaller hands).
Adding to the first point: I keep my phone in my front pocket, and while my iPhone 13 Mini becomes unnoticeable there, none of the current slab phones do, especially when I'm sitting. As I said earlier, I'd prefer a 13 Mini form factor to a foldable, but a properly-sized foldable would also address that pain point.
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IMO, if you never had a Fold of any kind, you can't judge this. I've had several foldables in the past, and now carry a Fold 7 along with my iPhone.
I believe the iPhone Fold will be a huge hit. At least in America, millions will jump on whatever finance plan available with little regard for the total price. Especially if both sides are as thin as the Air, which when folded will make the thickness only 1mm thicker than the Fold 7.
The main thing that concerns me about an Apple Fold is the software.
I believe the iPhone Fold will be a huge hit. At least in America, millions will jump on whatever finance plan available with little regard for the total price. Especially if both sides are as thin as the Air, which when folded will make the thickness only 1mm thicker than the Fold 7.
The main thing that concerns me about an Apple Fold is the software.
Not where I'm living. During my daily commute I see many phones (almost everybody has theirs out on the train), but I've seen a foldable one exactly twice in recent years. Not sure it was a Fold 7, it was a long/slender looking one in both cases that folded out to a square.
Agree on the rarity of seeing them; I think this will change when carriers start offering free fold phones without $100+/month plan requirements
I personally don't make it a habit of unfolding around crowds in public spaces, cause the mass public are still in that stage of "Oooh, what's that", and I don't what to be bothered. 😂
So you might have passed plenty of folded Folds and not realized it. Especially if it's a Fold 7, cause it look like a normal slab.
I think an iPhone Fold will change that. But I don't look forward to pedestrians crossing the street with their faces buried in a unfolded iPhone. 😞
It is rare enough to see anyone with a high end Android phone anywhere around here, so I think I'd notice a thick folded phone with the wildly thick borders on the weird outer screens.
I don't think we'll see a foldable iPhone before 2030 - Apple's scale & need for extremely low returns/warranty to keep margins make me think they'll miss the boat or be very late to market
Recent Folds don't have giant bezels and thin. The Fold 7 is basically the same thickness (when closed) as the 17PM.
A folded phone looks different than a non-fold phone, I'm not sure if that is confusing. Maybe I have better vision than others and just notice things?
I'd only consider the latter (if you mean double-sized mini).
someone else said it man. like the phone doesn’t turn into a tablet when you open it up. it turns into a bigger phone. i would guess that foldable phones will hit 25% market at some point before the end of the decade. sorry, but if i’m reading an email or on a webpage why wouldn’t I want to see more content. people weren’t satisfied with 20” monitors for their desktops. they got bigger and bigger. screen real estate is the point of a foldable. that is at the end of the day the why. no ifs, ands or buts about it.
they already make a tv way larger than that. it’s the vision pro.
You’re not reading and understanding what I have posted many times. Why does someone want a smartphone that converts into a tablet? Explain it.
Exactly. Apple will do something interesting with it or they won't do it all. And even if it fails, Apple can afford a couple of failed products. (But they better get Apple Intelligence right.)
I'll give you an example. I get to the airport early for an international flight. I have three or four hours to kill. I pull out my iPhone, open it up into tablet size and enjoy myself immensely watching movies or reading news. A few hours later, I'm at 40,000 feet. I pull out my sturdy iPhone from my pocket, open it up and are able to enjoy a full tablet sized screen for my personal entertainment. Sounds good to me.
you are not reading and understanding or maybe just don’t care because of why you argue what people are telling you. because when given the answer you ignore it and say the same thing over and over.
i don’t have to explain why i would want a smartphone that converts into a tablet.
the phone doesn’t convert into a tablet. the phone doesn’t convert into a tablet. the phone doesn’t convert into a tablet.
a foldable becomes a bigger phone. why do i want this phone. because i can go from one screen size to another on my phone. not my tablet but my phone.
I mean, what I'd love to see (if it's even possible) is a "fold and unroll". non-plus iPhone size when closed, unfolds "book style" twice (like the Huawei) then "unrolls" upward to be full iPad size. (Like the silly "Tecno" thing from last year.)