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

[257Loner]

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.

 

[the future]

Good thing the „foldables market“ is so tiny, then.

But if you want to spend that much money to be a beta tester for a solution in search of a problem, go ahead.

 

[jagolden]

It’s still a novelty.
I just can’t get on-board with having a device that’s twice as thick as a non foldable.
As to Apple not having a foldable yet, (yawn).
I could see the usefulness if the screen, when opened, approximated a iPad Mini. That would draw my attention.

 

[eyoungren]

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

Embarrassing to who?

I'm not interested in a foldable. I like my one piece slabs of glass and steel. I know others (such as you) are interested, but as has been stated, it's a novelty.

If Apple makes a foldable tomorrow I won't be buying it.

 

[ToddH]

No folding iPhones for me! I don’t speak for everyone, but Those are just stupid and useless.

 

[dmr727]

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

 

[eyoungren]

No folding iPhones for me! I don’t speak for everyone, but Those are just stupid and useless.

I think the idea is that you can just fold it up and go. A large(er) device that folds up to a small(er) form factor.

I can't understand why that's desirable, but I don't have a lifestyle where I need my phone to fold up.

 

[RRC]

Small market that’s beneficial to android because their tablets are mostly rubbish… their users need a device that can do both where as a lot of Apple customers have an iPad as well as an iPhone.

 

[ToddH]

I think the idea is that you can just fold it up and go. A large(er) device that folds up to a small(er) form factor.

I can't understand why that's desirable, but I don't have a lifestyle where I need my phone to fold up.

Yeah, I don’t need the thickness or the issues that will come with it in the future from constantly opening it and folding it. If you dropped it, the henge would be damaged because you know there’s gonna be so many people that don’t want to put a case on it. You definitely wouldn’t be able to put a screen protector on it because it wouldn’t close due to the extra thickness. There will always be a crease in the screen down the center where it folds, and I will be uneven and would drive me crazy. I’ve seen several people with a galaxy fold phone and it’s just not for me. I also heard several stories where people live in subzero climates like up north Dakota, etc. as freezing temperatures would affect the screen and it would crack when opening because it’s just too cold to be used. so, just get a flip phone if you want one that folds.

 

[ratspg]

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.

This isn't embarrassing at all.....
Apple was "last" to the mp3 player market... with the iPod. Remind me where Zune, and Rio and all of those are, and where Apple is?
One of the best qualities of Apple is to show up last with the best build, most seamless design and ui, and ease of use for their product. If and when they enter foldable devices, I'd expect the same result, and people will look at Samsung and Razr and Oppo and just be like, oh well they tried.

 

[ToddH]

This isn't embarrassing at all.....
Apple was "last" to the mp3 player market... with the iPod. Remind me where Zune, and Rio and all of those are, and where Apple is?
One of the best qualities of Apple is to show up last with the best build, most seamless design and ui, and ease of use for their product. If and when they enter foldable devices, I'd expect the same result, and people will look at Samsung and Razr and Oppo and just be like, oh well they tried.

I think Apple is usually last at many things because they wait for the competition to come out with it (whatever it is) first so they can improve on it and make it better. Just like vehicles, Land Rover probably came out with the LED strip lights first then you started seeing everybody else using them with different improvements etc. so companies like this aren’t any different.

 

[zach-coleman]

I'm excited to see their take. I hope it has less of a problem with app continuity between the external and internal screens, when I tried a Fold 4 in a store it had huge problems with that even on the demo apps.

 

[GMShadow]

Microsoft’s first foldable phone was firesaled at about 30% of MSRP, and I expect the second will follow soon enough. Google is doing the usual “throw stuff at the wall” approach, and Samsung is also doing their usual “Apple might do it so we’re gonna rush something out to say we did it first!”.

 

[iAppleOrchard]

Foldable are a gimmick.

 

[mittencuh]

I think Apple is usually last at many things because they wait for the competition to come out with it (whatever it is) first so they can improve on it and make it better. Just like vehicles, Land Rover probably came out with the LED strip lights first then you started seeing everybody else using them with different improvements etc. so companies like this aren’t any different.

It was Audi.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I don’t see foldable phones becoming anything more than a niche segment. Given the state of the smartphone market, I think companies that have invested will start to pull back to preserve capital, and any innovations in this segment will dry up. I just don’t see mass appeal for this type of product, and I don’t see it achieving any kind of meaningful scale.

 

[Wizec]

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.

The current generations are way too thick for me. Call me when they get to the same thinness when closed as an iPhone and have all day battery life and the screen itself doesn’t fold, but meets in the middle with a barely noticeable gap.

 

[philstubbington]

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 have had no interest in a foldable phone since my Motorola Flipphone about 500 years ago 😉😂

 

[barkomatic]

There have been rumors that Apple is developing a foldable iPhone or iPad but I just think they are focused on VR/AR at the moment. In the end, a foldable is just another iteration of an existing product which has been out for ages.

That being said, I think foldables are more than a gimmick or a solution in search of a problem. They'll eventually get thinner and unfolding a bigger screen means more readable texts and a better device to consume content on.

 

[usagora]

Embarrassing to who?

Precisely my question. Certainly not to Apple. They obviously have the ability to develop anything they want, and who knows what they are or aren't working on in secret at any time.

 

[257Loner]

Embarrassing to who?

Embarrassing to Apple. Apple has historically lagged behind the competition in screen size.

Samsung's 2011 Galaxy Note had a 5.3-inch screen when Apple’s iPhone 4S only had a 3.5-inch screen.
Samsung's 2012 Galaxy S III had a 4.8-inch screen when Apple’s iPhone 5 only had a 4-inch one.
In 2019, when Samsung released the Galaxy Fold, its 7.3-inch screen had 65% more screen area than the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 6.46-inch screen.

It’s about time Apple caught up to Samsung in the screen size race and release their own foldable. (Although only Apple was brave enough to release a mini, which I hope they do again.)

 

[usagora]

Embarrassing to Apple. Apple has historically lagged behind the competition in screen size.

Samsung's 2011 Galaxy Note had a 5.3-inch screen when Apple’s iPhone 4S only had a 3.5-inch screen.
Samsung's 2012 Galaxy S III had a 4.8-inch screen when Apple’s iPhone 5 only had a 4-inch one.
In 2019, when Samsung released the Galaxy Fold, its 7.3-inch screen had 65% more screen area than the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 6.46-inch screen.

It’s about time Apple caught up to Samsung in the screen size race and release their own foldable. (Although only Apple was brave enough to release a mini, which I hope they do again.)

Do you seriously think Apple doesn't have the intellectual and financial resources both now and in the past times you mentioned to develop whatever they wanted to? They operate on their own time table and have been incredibly successful. I guarantee you no one at Apple is "embarrassed" about anything you mentioned.

 

[bushman4]

Is Apple last to market with a foldable or will lthere never be an Apple foldable. ?????

 

[RedTheReader]

… a solution in search of a problem…

I think the idea is that you can just fold it up and go. A large(er) device that folds up to a small(er) form factor.

I can't understand why that's desirable…

… so, just get a flip phone if you want one that folds.

Look, I understand why a lot of people don't want, period, even if the design limitations are worked out over time. I understand the very real durability concerns, even if one is interested in the technology. What I don't understand is how people don't see the broad appeal of the technology, even if it's never going to be for them.

It's supposed to be an iPad (mini) in your pocket. That's it. People spend so much time walking and reading things on their smartphones that could greatly benefit from more screen estate. People default to the iPad for this, saying the iPhone doesn't need to be particularly good at it, but (1) do you really not see how some people would want it to be good at this and (2) do you really not see how that would make the device more capable?

Just the other day I was talking to an instructor about how I want a system to write down ideas whenever they come to me so that they stay around and so that I don't get too mentally distracted from what I'm doing. A smartphone can get you70% of the way there, but I wanted to handwrite without having a million post-it-notes flying around. We keep coming back to the iPad as the only real solution, and the iPad mini being the one that would fit my needs most easily/portably. Is it really impossible to think of how it would be easier and nicer for me if that iPad mini was in my pocket instead if in the outer sleeve of my backpack?

It doesn't bother me that people don't want or need this—I don't want or need a big-boy 12.9" iPad myself because it's too similar to my MacBook—but I do have trouble understanding how so many of you don't understand how others might use it. I don't draw, but is it really that difficult to imagine an artist on that 12.9" iPad?

Samsung is also doing their usual “Apple might do it so we’re gonna rush something out to say we did it first!”.

I don’t see foldable phones becoming anything more than a niche segment. Given the state of the smartphone market, I think companies that have invested will start to pull back to preserve capital, and any innovations in this segment will dry up. I just don’t see mass appeal for this type of product, and I don’t see it achieving any kind of meaningful scale.

It's been over 4.5 years, and if you look forward to when Google 1st and Samsung's 5th generations will be coming out, it'll have been 5. I don't suppose that's the amount of time one dedicates to something in hopes that a competitor will do it too. Their sales go up significantly every year to boot. I'm not insisting that this the next-big-thing anymore, but clearly, it has some place.

 

[eyoungren]

Embarrassing to Apple. Apple has lagged behind the competition in screen size.

It’s about time Apple caught up to Samsung in the screen size race and release their own foldable. (Although only Apple was brave enough to release a mini, which I hope they do again.)

So what. Apple has always lagged behind. They don't seem to have any problems selling the iPhone.

And why do you care anyway?

Is Apple going to be hurt financially? Is not having a foldable phone the death knell for Apple?

If Apple is embarrassed, why do you think they will care? Apple has a long history of taking away stuff from its own customers and telling those customers 'take it or leave it'.

Yet Apple is still here.

Is it possible that it's just you that is embarrassed by this?