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Apple's First Foldable Displays Nearing Mass Production
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Matt713
macrumors member
I would love to run an ecosystem that consist of; iPhone Mini(updated version), iPad mini (OLED), and Mac Mini… ugh. Miss my 12 mini.
iMac The Knife
macrumors 65816
If Apple makes a book-style foldable that doesn't support the Apple Pencil, that is just sad on their part.
flottenheimer
macrumors 68000
Ultimately the price will determine how succesful a foldable iPhone will be.
A real disruption in the foldable market, securing mass adoption, would be something like 'last year's regular specs, but foldable, and priced like the current regular'. 🔥
Personally, I am not interested in buying anything more expensive than somewhere around the price of an iPhone 17 Pro. Heck, my last Pro model was the 11 Pro. Since then, I've only bought the regular models (13 and 16).
A real disruption in the foldable market, securing mass adoption, would be something like 'last year's regular specs, but foldable, and priced like the current regular'. 🔥
Personally, I am not interested in buying anything more expensive than somewhere around the price of an iPhone 17 Pro. Heck, my last Pro model was the 11 Pro. Since then, I've only bought the regular models (13 and 16).
ScanTheNavian
macrumors 6502
Even if it supports it I don't know how pleasant it will be to use with the crease being there.
iMac The Knife
macrumors 65816
The crease doesn't interfere when using a stylus on the more recent foldables. You can barely even feel the crease with your fingers anymore, which is nice.
The title isn’t confusing at all. Samsung makes parts to other companies specifications, moreover this isn’t a stock item that is shared between other manufacturers and their devices, this item will solely be in iPhones. It is right to say the display is Apple’s.
It can also fail regularly if you live somewhere humid and the sweat/condensation on your fingers impede the sensor.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone comment on this among the various posts, but whether I buy or not will ultimately depend on the experience I get when connecting an external display.
I’d have switched to Samsung (Dex) if it wasn’t for other tradeoffs. I was optimistic and excited about the revival of the rumored 12-inch MacBook, but then disappointed once Neo was announced with the same dimensions and weight as the Air. Granted the educational market segment may be larger, but it’s been 10 years since Apple created a computing device under 1kg/2lbs. Even the lightest 11” iPad (with keyboard) weighs the same as the 13” Macbook Air.
- Full Screen or Black Bars?
- Native Resolution or Device Resolution?
- Single / Split View Apps or Multi Windowed Apps?
- Can the unfolded inner display function as keyboard/mouse when connected?
I’d have switched to Samsung (Dex) if it wasn’t for other tradeoffs. I was optimistic and excited about the revival of the rumored 12-inch MacBook, but then disappointed once Neo was announced with the same dimensions and weight as the Air. Granted the educational market segment may be larger, but it’s been 10 years since Apple created a computing device under 1kg/2lbs. Even the lightest 11” iPad (with keyboard) weighs the same as the 13” Macbook Air.
lilkwarrior
macrumors 6502a
It’s not a mainstream product with components Apple can’t even make mainstream.
The very best products of a category don’t typically represent the most products of a category with most settling with modest and much more limited or compromised alternatives.
It’s long overdue for pocket computers to be more useful; if the 17 Pro Max can be a 1.5K slab, this fold certainly can easily sell within a sensible amount at $1.600-2000.
Prosumers who buy for their individual needs don’t need or care about mainstream sales; that’s the target audience of this device.
What good is ‘almost crease free’ ????
In other words it still has a crease which of course will be more visible with use
I’m disappointment after hearing it would be crease free
In other words it still has a crease which of course will be more visible with use
I’m disappointment after hearing it would be crease free
While I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the first foldable from Apple, it is disappointing that it will lack FaceID and a telephoto lens. Disappointing that when Z Fold is having some form of zoom, the iPhone will not. Don’t think it will be available in the immediate next version too. Combined with the higher price tag, I might prefer to get the Z Fold instead.
The Game 161
macrumors Nehalem
Because you will only notice it in extreme lighting. If you can’t feel the crease it certainly won’t be noticeable in day to day usage or even know it’s there. Until it’s out all this is guess work.
Doesn’t really matter, because it’s just another option in the long line up of iPhones. At the end of the day Apple is going to profit off of it.
snowatom
macrumors regular
The new iPhone Fold will probably be just as impressive and well-executed as Apple Vision. But the price will likely mean it only appeals to a very engaged niche audience. Apple clearly needs to join the foldable wave, but I’m not really seeing a huge success ahead. That said, I’ve definitely been proven wrong before.
One feature that would be incredible is if Apple allowed macOS to run on the iPhone when connected to an external display with a mouse and keyboard via USB-C — essentially turning the phone into a fully functional Mac. If they released something like that on a device like the iPhone Fold, I’m sure it would attract a lot more interest. But realistically, the chances of Apple allowing that are probably very small.
One feature that would be incredible is if Apple allowed macOS to run on the iPhone when connected to an external display with a mouse and keyboard via USB-C — essentially turning the phone into a fully functional Mac. If they released something like that on a device like the iPhone Fold, I’m sure it would attract a lot more interest. But realistically, the chances of Apple allowing that are probably very small.
I Don’t think I’d want the Apple Pencil for this. The device is much smaller than an iPad and is ment to be hand held. The current Apple Pencil is too big for a device like this. Apple would need to design a new pencil for this device.
When I replace my iPhone Air with this it will benefit me the same or more. Your argument is stupid.
johnsawyercjs
macrumors 68000
Or when you're wearing gloves and would rather not remove one just to unlock your iPhone
If the Samsung screen on the foldable iPhone is better than the screens on the Samsung foldables, that raises the interesting question of why.
I can see three possibilities:
1) Its design results in a higher BOM than is acceptable to Samsung for its own products.
2) Apple has developed a better technology that they won't license to Samsung to use it its own phones.
3) Neither of the above; it's simply that Samsung has chosen to make different design decisions from Apple.
A parallel example is the LG Ultrafine monitor; it used the same display panel as in the old 27" iMac, yet had inferior performance: More reflections (so it chose not to, or wasn't allowed to, use Apple's AR coating), worse color uniformity, poorer QC.
I can see three possibilities:
1) Its design results in a higher BOM than is acceptable to Samsung for its own products.
2) Apple has developed a better technology that they won't license to Samsung to use it its own phones.
3) Neither of the above; it's simply that Samsung has chosen to make different design decisions from Apple.
A parallel example is the LG Ultrafine monitor; it used the same display panel as in the old 27" iMac, yet had inferior performance: More reflections (so it chose not to, or wasn't allowed to, use Apple's AR coating), worse color uniformity, poorer QC.
VulchR
macrumors 68040
So did I. It made a lot of sense to me. I am sure since then precision manufacturing has advanced sufficiently to get the tolerances down so a gap between two (or three for an iPad-like device?) fixed screens would not be visible. The question would be cost and perhaps robustness, but the issues of a mechanical hinge must be much less daunting than the issues of bending a screen.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
VulchR
macrumors 68040
I have been disappointed by every foldable model I have looked at, but Apple has a way of taking existing technology and making it work well, so perhaps you are right. I will look at what Apple offers, but I just think there are fundamental issues with foldable designs that will be unlikely to be overcome.
I watched that video
Crease free still isn't quite crease free.
Is the crease is significant shallower than the old crease? yes. Non existant? no.
Is it good enough? imho yes.
One thing dave was clear about; is that over time the crease gets worse. I'd believe that. Wifey has a flip 4, she's had it for 3 years and while i don't have a new one to compare it against; that crease is pretty significant.
So will the crease on this "creaseless" device get worse? most likely yes.
However. Wifey stopped noticing the crease pretty much by the end of her first week.
This is no different to people complaining about the notch when it happened. Once you are used to it; you forget it's ever there. Ergo the whole issue is overblown.