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Apple Researching Stronger Displays for Foldable Devices to Resist Cracking
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I’m unclear how Apple (or any manufacturer for that matter) will make a display overlay that is both hard and flexible enough to bend without cracking. Even if Corning can improve the bending capabilities of their extremely thin glass, the fragility of it will make it a challenge for a pocketable device that will in all likelihood experience situations that put stress on the surface - enough to cause micro cracks that then turn into full failure points.
I have zero desire to get a folding device that uses current plastic / glass screen cover technology. I’ve lived through the days of plastic screens (as a former original Compaq iPaq owner), not to mention the numerous other “smart” phones I had with horrid plastic covered screens. There is a reason that Steve Jobs fought to make the original iPhone with a glass screen, because he too realized just how bad the plastic covered screens were for a touch input driven device.
I have zero desire to get a folding device that uses current plastic / glass screen cover technology. I’ve lived through the days of plastic screens (as a former original Compaq iPaq owner), not to mention the numerous other “smart” phones I had with horrid plastic covered screens. There is a reason that Steve Jobs fought to make the original iPhone with a glass screen, because he too realized just how bad the plastic covered screens were for a touch input driven device.
cue up everyone saying how they don't want or need an folding iPhone...
Then when Apple releases one and they all pre order and say how great it is....
Then when Apple releases one and they all pre order and say how great it is....
This feels like a search for a faster horse to me.
Stop focusing on phones and move onto what's next. I think we're likely just a few years from not holding displays anymore - we'll move to wearing the display on our face for awhile, and then we'll move from that into brain implants.
Shatterproof and bendable screens won't matter then.
Having an external device - an iPhone with a totally blank face - might make sense still, for touch events and whatnot. The AR can just project whatever edge to edge display onto the surface.
Stop focusing on phones and move onto what's next. I think we're likely just a few years from not holding displays anymore - we'll move to wearing the display on our face for awhile, and then we'll move from that into brain implants.
Shatterproof and bendable screens won't matter then.
Having an external device - an iPhone with a totally blank face - might make sense still, for touch events and whatnot. The AR can just project whatever edge to edge display onto the surface.
Watch Westworld. The tablet/phone would be sweet if it was doable.
I don’t see a case where I would prefer this. I’m happy to have my mind changed.
Even so, I think the pricing will be such that you could buy a standard phone plus an iPad anyway.
Even so, I think the pricing will be such that you could buy a standard phone plus an iPad anyway.
Using that same logic, then there’s probably no practical reason for a phone that plays music especially since iPods exist. No need for a phone that can surf the web, since anyone can just get on a computer.
I’m not saying we need a foldable phone, but consolidating devices is what Apple has been doing for a while now. Why carry an iPhone and a iPad, when it could be the same device?
Folding smartphones are something that, if they are ever able to be executed properly such that they are as durable and reliable as regular smartphones, would be fantastic. I'm not optimistic that's going to happen though and these things will remain too fragile for the average person, who won't baby it and won't want to replace it every year or two.
Cell phone history is very interesting. 15-20 years ago it was a rush to get things smaller, thinner, and lighter. Now huge screens are in style as people use their devices differently. The folding screen would allow consumers the best of both worlds. Shame.
Cell phone history is very interesting. 15-20 years ago it was a rush to get things smaller, thinner, and lighter. Now huge screens are in style as people use their devices differently. The folding screen would allow consumers the best of both worlds. Shame.
Before anyone gets too excited, or angry, or happy, or whatever, this does not mean Apple will be releasing a foldable phone. Far from it, Apple has thousands of patents that never lead to anything. Hell, they were developing touchscreen iMacs back in 2010, and yet 10 years later nothing came of that.
This is most likely all for research and development, and won’t lead to any actual products. It could also just be for trying to get the glass that’s used on current iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks even stronger. Imagine a MacBook that doesn’t have the current hinge. Imagine if the glass that’s on the screen goes all the way down to where the Touch Bar is, and it just opens and closes there. That would be awesome.
As for future products, we’re more likely to get Apple glass, a iPad Pro like iPad mini, AirPods studio, airtags, and an iPhone with 120 Hz before we get any type of foldable iPhone.
This is most likely all for research and development, and won’t lead to any actual products. It could also just be for trying to get the glass that’s used on current iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks even stronger. Imagine a MacBook that doesn’t have the current hinge. Imagine if the glass that’s on the screen goes all the way down to where the Touch Bar is, and it just opens and closes there. That would be awesome.
As for future products, we’re more likely to get Apple glass, a iPad Pro like iPad mini, AirPods studio, airtags, and an iPhone with 120 Hz before we get any type of foldable iPhone.
I wonder if someone once said "I see no reason to carry a big, bulky, and heavy cell phone" back in the 80's or early 90's. "Can't they just use their landline, the next pay-phone, or stop and talk to them in person?"
People have said similar things for the iPad and Apple Watch, and they're everywhere now. This is somewhat new and may seem odd, but I'm sure it will eventually find its place. I can see it being useful for those that work out in the field. Use it as a phone folded up, and open it up when they need to look at drawings or schematics for their job. I know I'd rather do that rather than lugging multiple devices around with me everywhere I go.
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Funny thing.. My Dad went to drafting school for this. He said in college that the professor would review it under a magnifying glass to see if he used the correct led and of there were any eraser points.I really love patent applications. Between the blocky edges, use of basic geometry, and weird composite perspective, they always look like they were made in MS Paint.
Meh, working on a foldable phone seems like designing a solution to a problem that should not exist.
Nice, I have a Galaxy Fold 2 but I can't wait to get back to Apple. I am really really confused for those who say this is a "gimmick", or that it makes no sense to have a folding smartphone. My first thought is "duh", but then I have to temper my disbelief with my actually having one of these in hand and having used it for the past few weeks. Having a tablet that folds into something the size of a smartphone is amazing, just incredible, and no I don't feel I'm exaggerating using those terms, this is a true gamechanger in my personal opinion and in how I personally use my devices. I swore I'd never ever return to Android, but the functionality was just too much to pass up and here I am, but as soon as Apple releases something I'm right back with them.
Edit: Reading through some of the comments I just have to assume that many of the naysayers simply haven't used the Fold 2, and even further haven't used it as their daily driver for an extended period of time. Yes it's a beta product, no doubt about that, but any yokel can see the incredible potential. For a beta product it is quite robust though, it's no fragile flower at all, and once you take the screen protector off it feels very close to glass. The other issues such as waterproofing will be solved, heck in terms of durability there are already rumors of the Fold 3 having support for a stylus. There should also be more variety, such as a rumored tri-fold phone which would be a really large tablet.
Edit: Reading through some of the comments I just have to assume that many of the naysayers simply haven't used the Fold 2, and even further haven't used it as their daily driver for an extended period of time. Yes it's a beta product, no doubt about that, but any yokel can see the incredible potential. For a beta product it is quite robust though, it's no fragile flower at all, and once you take the screen protector off it feels very close to glass. The other issues such as waterproofing will be solved, heck in terms of durability there are already rumors of the Fold 3 having support for a stylus. There should also be more variety, such as a rumored tri-fold phone which would be a really large tablet.
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I tend to change my sceptical view on foldable devices after seeing the Galaxy Flip which is 6.7 inches that can be folded within your palm. I am not sure about the longevity of the screen but rest of the mobile looked awesome in the Samsung store, to make the matter more interesting, in my place the prices of iPhone 12 Pro Max (or Max Pro 😇) and Galaxy Z Fold 2 are same or iPhone 12 Pro Max 512 GB is even higher than the foldable top of the line flagship from Samsung, tempting.......😛😋
Yes, foldable, Rolla less, bendable, flexible displays eem to be the new age tech as current form factor getting exhausted with abundance of innovations and improvements in the past two decades....Huwei Mate X to me, the best LOOKING of all foldable.....price was impractical for me though.....
Apple has to start somewhere, they can't keep milking the same form factor. Other companies would leave a huge gap and boom charging $1000,$1600,$2000 for the old-fashioned form factor will become a joke. BTW, others are making lots of improvements and getting really ready for the prime time...IMHO
Yes, foldable, Rolla less, bendable, flexible displays eem to be the new age tech as current form factor getting exhausted with abundance of innovations and improvements in the past two decades....Huwei Mate X to me, the best LOOKING of all foldable.....price was impractical for me though.....
Apple has to start somewhere, they can't keep milking the same form factor. Other companies would leave a huge gap and boom charging $1000,$1600,$2000 for the old-fashioned form factor will become a joke. BTW, others are making lots of improvements and getting really ready for the prime time...IMHO
You just reflected my above thoughts, BTW how is the screen ? Do you seecrease, any issues with scratches, endurance.? I am looking for a long term critical review on both flip & fold 2
The screen is way more durable than what most make it out to be, but at the same time it's definitely not gorilla glass. Zero issues with scratches, but I do baby my phones. Keep in mind that since it folds it effectively protects the inner folding screen quite nicely, so in that sense it should be infinitely more durable than a non folding phone which is always exposed. My only gripe is the lack of oleophobic coating, I hope they figure that out soon because it is a fingerprint magnet, but much less of one if you remove the screen protector.
I'm still not sold on the utility of folding phones as they're currently designed, even if the hardware and software worked exactly the way it's supposed to in the concept videos, and was 100% reliable. Maybe I'd feel different using one, but it just doesn't seem to line up with the way I use devices.
The possible exception is a perfectly-functioning clamshell phone that I could snap open with one hand into a phone the size of a regular modern phone... but even that would basically just offer screen protection when closed and maybe a bit more ability to fit in a pocket; the volume and weight would be the same and it's not honestly going to be that much more "pocketable" than what I use now--I wouldn't put my current phone in a pants pocket for any period of time, and I don't think that would change anything.
In science fiction terms a device that was the size of a current non-Max iPhone, had a non-max iPhone screen on the outside, but folded out 3x or 4x to be the size of an iPad would be much more likely to actually benefit me, although in the real world I'm still not sure how that would work with a case, and we seem to be a long way from there.
I do feel like two screens that meet up to become nearly seamless (like a more advanced Nintendo DS) seems like a much more viable design than a single flexible screen, though. It eliminates the failure point and does not really cost you much in terms of real-world benefit. Flexible screens seem like a product trying to find a device to make them useful.
The possible exception is a perfectly-functioning clamshell phone that I could snap open with one hand into a phone the size of a regular modern phone... but even that would basically just offer screen protection when closed and maybe a bit more ability to fit in a pocket; the volume and weight would be the same and it's not honestly going to be that much more "pocketable" than what I use now--I wouldn't put my current phone in a pants pocket for any period of time, and I don't think that would change anything.
In science fiction terms a device that was the size of a current non-Max iPhone, had a non-max iPhone screen on the outside, but folded out 3x or 4x to be the size of an iPad would be much more likely to actually benefit me, although in the real world I'm still not sure how that would work with a case, and we seem to be a long way from there.
I do feel like two screens that meet up to become nearly seamless (like a more advanced Nintendo DS) seems like a much more viable design than a single flexible screen, though. It eliminates the failure point and does not really cost you much in terms of real-world benefit. Flexible screens seem like a product trying to find a device to make them useful.
Foldable displays are a game changer. Having an iPad mini (with no bezels) that folds in half and fits in your pocket, while remaining a usable smartphone while shut, is pretty revolutionary in today's market.