Apple Continues to Fall Behind

[DougiePhresh]

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold - the world now has two premium tri-folding phones (also Huawei’s Mate XTs Ultimate) and Apple has yet to release even it’s first bifold phone.

Tim Cool has prioritized Apple shareholder profits at the expense of innovation and it’s so sad. Apple used to be really cool - now, it’s arguably the bottom of the barrel of ‘premium’ brands.

Every year they slide further and further behind and I hate to see it because of how much I admired their products in the past. I don’t want to switch to a Samsung or other manufacturer’s device, but I also don’t want to keep supporting Apple, which clearly doesn’t care anymore and is merely a husk of it’s former self.

Every decision being made at 1 Cupertino starts with “will this increase our stock price?”

 

[SnowPenguin]

If this is about foldables, they plan on releasing one next year. If rumors are to be believed.

Also, as someone who uses various technology products, I say give the other companies a try. It could be the current Apple is not for you.

 

[Slartibart]

yeah. concerning. 😂🤣😀😇

 

[CMoore515]

Fall behind in the eyes of who? I'm still of the belief that foldables are still somewhat of a niche product and a fad, frankly. I always used to hear people say until Apple does it, it doesn't count. Well, that's an example of this, imo.

 

[Starfia]

That seems a popular sort of opinion, but I think it's easy to forget how much innovation there's been under Cook. Apple's still setting examples it might never otherwise have occurred to people to hope for.

 

[zenmacx]

As a decades long satisfied Apple customer it is discouraging to witness the Cupertino company's slide into mediocrity, waiting for other companies to lead with advanced technologies.

Once convinced that folding phones were a niche product, that immediately changed upon purchasing a Galaxy Z Fold7. My experience with this phone has been exemplary.

Then yesterday after viewing the video (posted below) of the upcoming Galaxy TriFold, it became apparent that folding phones are rapidly becoming a significant additional category in the smartphone space.

I will continue to enjoy my Z Fold7 as I patiently wait for Apple to respond with a folding iPhone.

Galaxy TriFold

 

[DougiePhresh]

That seems a popular sort of opinion, but I think it's easy to forget how much innovation there's been under Cook. Apple's still setting examples it might never otherwise have occurred to people to hope for.

If by innovation you mean - ways to cut costs and increase share prices. Then yes, there has been innovation.

Apple lead the market in cutting chargers from the box, single-handedly forced the EU to pass a Regulation to mandate USB-C utilization for all devices, and finally added vapor chambers to their devices a full decade after the competition. If that is what you call ‘innovation’, then sure - they were super innovative.

 

[Starfia]

If by innovation you mean…

I linked the comment so you could read it and know what I meant, but no objection if you'd rather just guess.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The Vision Pro is even more innovative than the Triphone in my opinion.
Same idea (bigger screen, wherever you want it), same price, and somehow more practical.
And the Vision Pro isn’t even that practical to begin with, so I guess that should say a lot more about the Triphone.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

The Vision Pro is even more innovative than the Triphone in my opinion.
Same idea (bigger screen, wherever you want it), same price, and somehow more practical.
And the Vision Pro isn’t even that practical to begin with, so I guess that should say a lot more about the Triphone.

AVP and foldable phones are widely, wildly different. AVP is truly innovative; foldable phones less innovative in that they are just a new physical feature applied to phones. But the main thing is that they are so different that saying "Same idea" is very wrong IMO.

 

[fatTribble]

I never expect Apple to be the first with a product.
But when they do release one it’s typically better than the competition.

 

[whatnot]

Apple lead the market ... single-handedly forced the EU to pass a Regulation to mandate USB-C utilization for all devices

correct if read backwards.

 

[Matthew.H]

As a decades long satisfied Apple customer it is discouraging to witness the Cupertino company's slide into mediocrity, waiting for other companies to lead with advanced technologies.

Once convinced that folding phones were a niche product, that immediately changed upon purchasing a Galaxy Z Fold7. My experience with this phone has been exemplary.

Then yesterday after viewing the video (posted below) of the upcoming Galaxy TriFold, it became apparent that folding phones are rapidly becoming a significant additional category in the smartphone space.

I will continue to enjoy my Z Fold7 as I patiently wait for Apple to respond with a folding iPhone.

Galaxy TriFold

Foldable phones are pretty cool and I have watched that vid of the TriFold but ultimately they are a solution looking for a problem. In the video a phone that folds out to have a 10 inch interior screen is a great concept but the screen got damaged just being propped against a vase and the creases at the hinges are pretty damn noticeable.
Plus a rumoured $3000 price tag which will likely be £3000 here in the UK is frankly ridiculous when you can buy a 512GB Galaxy S25 Ultra and a 512GB Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra for £2200 combined directly from Samsung. Buying elsewhere would likely be cheaper still.

 

[Abydos]

what , no bring back the mini comments

 

[cjsuk]

With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold - the world now has two premium tri-folding phones (also Huawei’s Mate XTs Ultimate) and Apple has yet to release even it’s first bifold phone.

Tim Cool has prioritized Apple shareholder profits at the expense of innovation and it’s so sad. Apple used to be really cool - now, it’s arguably the bottom of the barrel of ‘premium’ brands.

Every year they slide further and further behind and I hate to see it because of how much I admired their products in the past. I don’t want to switch to a Samsung or other manufacturer’s device, but I also don’t want to keep supporting Apple, which clearly doesn’t care anymore and is merely a husk of it’s former self.

Every decision being made at 1 Cupertino starts with “will this increase our stock price?”

There is no behind. There is only sensible and beyond sensible. Apple are the yardstick of sensible and haven't made it into woohoo bingle bongle whiffle ping like Samsung have.

Simply look at the iPhone 17. It's what people wanted and they got it.

Also never interrupt an enemy when they are making a mistake...

 

[TracerAnalog]

This post again?

Yup. I'm guessing it's a popular prompt for AI jockey's. 'Write a hit piece for Apple using a cool nick name for the CEO'. But hey, it got a rise out of me, so the rage bait worked!

By the way: foldable tablets are cool tech.

 

[MBAir2010]

I was trying to replace my iPhone 12 mini blue with a basic 1990 flip phone
they did not let me!

see
I need something while I am cycling, fast 18 mph ave speed.
I need something with no features
not with internets, text, spam (ha!) music, spatial anything and foldable

when the iPhone rings, I can't answer!
the phone goes bonkers while ringing
aka I can't receive a call while ringing
since that won't works
without log in,
sign in include,
asking if I want to merge photos,
Hey we need some Face ID,
then Face ID rejecting
on that is you, heheh we are like sorry-right!

do I want to change wall paper?
so I
swipe up to receive call swipe right to call back, check to see if my account have money
swipe forwards to see who called me
swipe to the centurion constellation to see if they want me to call them back
swipe to the Cupertino headquarters to call the person who wants to contact me back?
swipe to the nearest car running a red light to reply to contact who is driving that car.
swipe to
huh?

10% battery, sorry suckA!
pacman music plays as I miss an important call

well att won't give me a flip large button phone.

this happened last year around this time.
so I can't sympathize with any smart phone being on par with todays' tech!
they all are horrible!
and we can never revert to our needs ever again

BTW I leave my phone at home 24.7 and enjoy life

since they have trees, waters, BIRDs and other nice thing we should focus upon!

 

[grammatica]

"and you're gonna love it." "we do it best not first." a bunch of baloney

 

[zenmacx]

Foldable phones are pretty cool and I have watched that vid of the TriFold but ultimately they are a solution looking for a problem. In the video a phone that folds out to have a 10 inch interior screen is a great concept but the screen got damaged just being propped against a vase and the creases at the hinges are pretty damn noticeable.
Plus a rumoured $3000 price tag which will likely be £3000 here in the UK is frankly ridiculous when you can buy a 512GB Galaxy S25 Ultra and a 512GB Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra for £2200 combined directly from Samsung. Buying elsewhere would likely be cheaper still.

Everyone's preferences, use cases, price sensitivity and interest in new technologies is different.

Pros and cons are present in all products, reported screen damage in the video may not be as simple and easily acquired as presented. It’s something as an early adopter I'm used to and willing to tolerate.

The durability of the display on my Z Fold7 is actually quite good. Better than anticipated. They have to start somewhere and as the next generation device is developed durability will certainly improve.

At the end of the day, should folding phones go the way of the Dodo bird, I will still have enjoyed the experience.

 

[Happy_John]

AVP and foldable phones are widely, wildly different. AVP is truly innovative; foldable phones less innovative in that they are just a new physical feature applied to phones. But the main thing is that they are so different that saying "Same idea" is very wrong IMO.

So foldable phones are less innovative because it is just a new physical feature, but the AVP is truly innovate because no company has ever thought of putting a screen directly in front of each eye in a headset f9rm factor before?

That’s what you’ve said. Take a moment.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

About foldable phones in 2026, rumors or not?
Foldable phones sound interesting

 

[AlaskaMoose]

As for me, I would be interested in a small phone with a lid I can close and then place this phone in any of my pockets, a cellphone without all the bells and whistles the present iPhones have. A relatively good camera is fine, with a good microphone and speaker, an app similar to WhatsApp which is great for texting, making calls, or even text voice messages anywhere around the world where cell serve is available, and so on. I don't need a large screen at all, since I mostly interested in practicality, efficiency (fast processing without hangups like Siri and iMessage do in my iPhone), water intrusion resistancy, a strong foldable phone that can resist shock if dropped when I am goofing around around rocks in the outdoors. Finally, one where I can "easily" move my files and photos- full-size- anyway I want either manually, or automatically from my computer to the cellphone, or from the cellphone to the computer or any external device.

 

[The_Interloper]

When debating the merits or otherwise of the current state of Apple, I'm always reminded of the closing quotes of Steve Jobs when he introduced the iPhone in 2007 (timestamped):

 

[August11]

Saying that Apple is falling behind is a pretty far stretch looking at the performance of their computers, wearables and phones vs. the competition at similar price points. Their chips are beyond impressive.

I recently bought a MacBook Pro after having used windows for 5+ years (due to work) and I must say there's no comparison. Macbook pros used to be premium products at premium price points, now they have more premium build quality, some of the best screens, best performance, best quality control, best speakers AND cheaper than the competition. And that's despite the fact that the hardware has been the same for the past few years and we most likely will see a re-designed MacBook Pro next year/ early 2027. As for the MacBook Air, it's an amazing mid-range/ budget laptop. Try comparing a $1600 windows laptop to an entry-level MacBook Pro. Or a $1000 Windows laptop to an M4 Air. I would go as far as to say Windows laptops tend to be bad value nowadays, and I would only consider getting a windows laptop again if I was on a very tight budget, did a lot of gaming or needed windows for work.

When it comes to wearables, I think Apple is best in class. As for smartphones, I think the competition is a bit closer to Apple, but I definitely think Apple is keeping up. The Iphone 17 Pro is an amazing smartphone. And they will most likely release a folding phone next year which I suspect will be very competitive, if not the best folding phone in the world. The Vision Pro has not been a smash-hit but it's a very innovative and impressive product. It's definitely not a product that screams "maximizing short term profits", if anything it's the opposite. I'm excited to see what the future of Apple VR and AR will bring - especially Apple glasses.

The only area where I agree that Apple has fallen behind is AI software. But let's see if they manage to catch up a bit with the rumored major updates to Apple Intelligence in 2026.

 

[kody137]

Oh no! Anyways...