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Apple Testing In-Display Fingerprint Sensor for iPhone 13, Foldable iPhone Also in the Works
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So is it better for the screen to fold outward like the main photo or inward? Does one have an advantage over the other?
Foldable phones... just because you CAN do a thing, it doesn't mean that you SHOULD do a thing (remember eye scrolling Samsung?!).
In this instance I think Apple being behind the competition is a good thing, at the moment this tech is still so experimental and "beta" that there is still a way to go before it becomes mainstream (if ever), so I think Apple are right to observe the failures whilst tinkering behind the scenes but not releasing anything yet.
In this instance I think Apple being behind the competition is a good thing, at the moment this tech is still so experimental and "beta" that there is still a way to go before it becomes mainstream (if ever), so I think Apple are right to observe the failures whilst tinkering behind the scenes but not releasing anything yet.
Seems like it would be easier to use the new iPad Air Touch ID power button vs in screen.
I hope Apple adds an in-screen fingerprint sensor. The ability to unlock my phone while wearing a mask (they'll be around for a long time) might even make me upgrade from my iPhone 12 Plus. It would also add a second layer of security for those who need it.
Well, the good news is:
If history bears out-
You’ll have about one year that you can use a Samsung device while they’re making fun of Apple for not having ports.
Then they’ll move to also not having ports & you’ll move on (I assume) to using an abacus & smoke signals?
So they’re just testing out the tech, not committing to release a folding phone. Good. Because it’s a terrible idea.
Well to be fair if you can do something but never actually do it, nothing will ever be driven forward technology-wise. Someone who CAN do it SHOULD do it to get the ball rolling. Someone has to take the first leap for anything else to actually happen so that the revolutionary device can go through the evolutionary process.
Just my take on all this. And yes I’m an very pro-folding phones and whatever else they want to throw our way. It’s all good in my mind so the good and bad ideas can be stick and fall from the wall.
I would like the finger print sensor also. But I think they need to keep the charging port. Most cars don’t have a wireless port.
If any has a chance at getting it right the first time, it's Apple.
All well and dandy, but I think the M1 macs clearly indicate that when you make a compelling product, people beyond those who need to upgrade will upgrade.
This could be Apple's killer year if they release a stonking iphone as well as macs.
An iPhone that morphs into an iPad on the go would be welcome.
But so far, I've seen what competitors do with foldable technologies, and although the idea is pleasing, the current technology and execution combined are abysmal. I'm glad Apple takes their time to get this thing right.
I'm not getting my hopes up for something good in 2021, and not even 2022.
But so far, I've seen what competitors do with foldable technologies, and although the idea is pleasing, the current technology and execution combined are abysmal. I'm glad Apple takes their time to get this thing right.
I'm not getting my hopes up for something good in 2021, and not even 2022.
A foldable phone is a solution in search of a problem. It is a worse tablet (crease) and a worse phone (thicker). It adds needless complexity that can fail- a hinge- and Apple hates moving parts. Also, nobody wants a folding phone. Tell me, have you ever saw someone using one? On the street? Exactly, it is change for the sake of change, not innovation. Just because Android manufacturers are jumping on board the hype train in a desperate attempt to differentiate themselves doesn’t mean Apple should do it too. Apple is better than that. “A thousand no’s for every yes”.
It is possible Apple just does away with the charging port in favour of wireless, making people by MagSafe chargers for their cars. Economy needs to be boosted somehow, right?
I, however, hope they do not take the charging port away. They want to, that's for sure, but I hope they do not.
Just like iPad, that is possible. Should also streamline processes and help costs. Maybe for convenience purposes an in-display sensor might work better, but for verification purposes where a user needs to be fully aware and show intent, the extra time taken to use the side button might work out better as against having purchased a costly app mindlessly.
While I have my doubts whether materials science will allow reliable folding screens anytime soon, a hypothetical folding phone is an excellent idea. Claims like "solution looking for a problem" come off as disingenuous and sour grapes, as the benefits would be obvious: a large screen in use, with more compact dimensions for transport.
Maybe the the crease will never be eliminated entirely, but methods like the "stretching" on the Lenovo X1 Fold indicate that the crease can be reduced to a point where it is irrelevant. I'd say it is already less of a problem than the notch.
Thickness, personally I am perfectly fine with a device that is 2cm when folded - my wallet is like that - but I think we will see these devices become much thinner. The Microsoft Duo is already below 1cm when folded.
The hinge, it certainly adds complexity, but we trust our lives to moving parts in countless other areas. I'm pretty sure a reliable hinge is a lesser problem.
I want a folding phone, and I am not the only one. Frankly, I think that if it can be done (big if), then it will bring a paradigm shift in phone form factors, and non-folding phones will be rendered obsolete.
Already the most premium mobile products are foldable ones, Apple can't sustain its price levels with its conservatively slow introduction of already available features in the market (it may be refined for iOS). When it's competitors start selling foldable ones at much cheaper and attractive price ranges than iPhones, the trend of jumping over to the opposite side may not be able to reverse.....
It’s not about in search of problem it’s about moving tech forward and bringing out something new and better. Foldables gives you a smaller form factor and a mini tablet on the go. For many it could replace their tablet
foldables from Samsung are selling in the millions so yes people do want it and sure you won’t see many in the streets using it pretty sure people wouldn’t want fools in the street to bump into them and cause them to drop their 2k device. Can’t stand people who use their phones when walking either...
apple would not be testing this if they didn’t see This as the future of tech...fold 2 is very new tech but given how early it is the product works very well...
I am game for in screen finger print reader. The Touch ID on the iPad Air power button doesn't always work for me, but I appreciate the innovation. Either would work for me.
Hope Apple will get rid of the notch though.
Foldable phone? Not in the market for that.
Hope Apple will get rid of the notch though.
Foldable phone? Not in the market for that.
Law enforcement ID software works even with masks. Must use eyes and eyebrows.
Why would Apple want to make one device that has problems no iPhone or iPad has, and cost less than them combined, when they can sell you both of them now?
Source?
If it’s so expensive and delicate that people are afraid to use it...
Apple tests lots of things that never come to market. In the article it explicitly said there is no device planned but they have a screen in the lab. Actually, Apple already has a phone with a foldable display- the iPhone X and later. The display curves under the chin so that the display controller doesn’t have to be behind the chin. This allows Apple to make a phone with a uniform bezel around the edge, unlike Android manufacturers who have a slightly thicker bottom bezel. That is innovation. So it’s quite possible Apple’s folding screen in the lab doesn’t turn into a foldable device.
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On foldable phones they need to get down to about the 11 Pro Max size and power envelope before I would consider one. For instance the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 at 16.8mm thickness when folded and 282g in weight is simply not a pocketable device as far as I am concerned. I can see a fairly big benefit for a model in the iPad range to deliver a really small and compact iPad (and one with the screen really well protected) that folds up to be put in a suitcase/briefcase/carry-on case when travelling but for my phone that is in my pocket whenever I am out and about then no, this current generation is too big and I'll weight a while until I consider them truly pocketable.
Dumping the charging port is an interesting one. Given how many people here are so strongly opposed to the idea it makes me ask myself why? For Apple to face the backlash it must see major benefits.
I can see 4 benefits but the first two, namely reducing build cost and driving extra revenue from those people going to Apple to get the necessary wireless chargers, are both entirely benefits to Apple rather than to the user. The two other benefits that would at least be for the user are better waterproofing and saving space within the iPhone chassis to be used for other purposes (the connector does actually take up a reasonable amount of space).
We all have different priorities for features but on the potentially better waterproofing that personally is of no benefit whatsoever for me. The current iPhone IP rating is more than adequate and I simply wouldn't notice it, admittedly until I needed it but in my almost 30 years of mobile phone ownership I've never even spilt a drink on my phone let alone felt the need to go pearl diving with it so I feel pretty OK on that score.
On the freeing-up space then I confess that for my entirely personal use case, and I fully realise that it's not all about me and hundreds of millions of other use cases need to be considered, I would actually be OK with dropping the lightning connector if the space saved in the case was used to allow for a bigger battery. Dropping the physical SIM card slot would also be a very worthwhile saving of PCB space but on that Apple needs to wait for the mobile industry to roll out virtual SIMs almost everywhere to be sure it doesn't cut itself off from too much of the market. I also noticed with interest that the next gen Samsung Exynos 2100 has the 5G modem on chip. With Apple's already exceptional SoC team, and it building up an in-house modem team as well, I suspect this is also a dirtection Apple wants to go in and that would yield yet more savings for PCB real estate.
Maybe some of these rumours are connected. I voiced my concerns at the start that foldable phones need to get to roughly the 11 Pro Max size and weight (when folded) before I consider them to be pocketable. Well, kicking stuff out of the internals such as lightning port and SIM card slot will make that more achievable so that each half of the clam shell can be made thinner. Maybe that is Apple's long term goal here.
Dumping the charging port is an interesting one. Given how many people here are so strongly opposed to the idea it makes me ask myself why? For Apple to face the backlash it must see major benefits.
I can see 4 benefits but the first two, namely reducing build cost and driving extra revenue from those people going to Apple to get the necessary wireless chargers, are both entirely benefits to Apple rather than to the user. The two other benefits that would at least be for the user are better waterproofing and saving space within the iPhone chassis to be used for other purposes (the connector does actually take up a reasonable amount of space).
We all have different priorities for features but on the potentially better waterproofing that personally is of no benefit whatsoever for me. The current iPhone IP rating is more than adequate and I simply wouldn't notice it, admittedly until I needed it but in my almost 30 years of mobile phone ownership I've never even spilt a drink on my phone let alone felt the need to go pearl diving with it so I feel pretty OK on that score.
On the freeing-up space then I confess that for my entirely personal use case, and I fully realise that it's not all about me and hundreds of millions of other use cases need to be considered, I would actually be OK with dropping the lightning connector if the space saved in the case was used to allow for a bigger battery. Dropping the physical SIM card slot would also be a very worthwhile saving of PCB space but on that Apple needs to wait for the mobile industry to roll out virtual SIMs almost everywhere to be sure it doesn't cut itself off from too much of the market. I also noticed with interest that the next gen Samsung Exynos 2100 has the 5G modem on chip. With Apple's already exceptional SoC team, and it building up an in-house modem team as well, I suspect this is also a dirtection Apple wants to go in and that would yield yet more savings for PCB real estate.
Maybe some of these rumours are connected. I voiced my concerns at the start that foldable phones need to get to roughly the 11 Pro Max size and weight (when folded) before I consider them to be pocketable. Well, kicking stuff out of the internals such as lightning port and SIM card slot will make that more achievable so that each half of the clam shell can be made thinner. Maybe that is Apple's long term goal here.