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I wonder if the 2-3 lifecycle also means we won’t see the Fold 2 until a couple of years after the first is released or if this device will be updated every year?
 
I wonder if the 2-3 lifecycle also means we won’t see the Fold 2 until a couple of years after the first is released or if this device will be updated every year?
It will depend on how well it sells.
 
I’m predicting camera and battery are going to take a hit while still costing a ton. Cause ya know it’s gotta be thin.
 
I guess that’s just not my thing. Never liked sliders and flip phones back in the days, they are not practical for my lifestyle. I would love iPhone to become smaller tho, but it won’t happen probably
 
10 million people would like a word with you as of July 2022. Less than 3 years later, they sold 10 million in the first 11 months of 2024. Even with Samsung supposedly lowering its initial manufacturing target for the Fold/Flip 7 line, the revised numbers would put foldable units at about 9% of their total phone and tablet production for the month, or about 1.3 million units.


The irony is components are locked in a year or more ahead of mass production. Even if the production timeline Kuo is floating was correct, which it is not, that would mean the components were locked in about 9 months ago. He can't have it both ways.


And yet they sold just as many as external observers thought they were going to sell. Surprisingly (he said, sarcastically) Ming Kuo claimed just over a year ago that Apple cut their Vision Pro order nearly in half (to 400k-450k), despite the fact that the only source for the larger number (750k-800k) was ... (wait for it) ... him. And the factory producing the displays was only capable of producing enough to cover 450k units in the first year, anyway!

So many people have ignored the fact Apple explicitly positioned the device as a small (for them) run aimed at developers, and continue to bang on about how it did so terribly. From everything I have seen, it did exactly as well as they expected. Which, sure, means it didn't set the world on fire in terms of unit sales, but you don't release a device where you are constrained to only producing 450k units in a year and expect it to immediately be the next iPhone.
So much of this is just blatantly untrue.

Vision Pro sales were a disaster. 500k units is not enough for Apple to take the device seriously.
It was NOT aimed at developers. It is the most consumer-focused device that they have. It's VR headset that runs iPad apps. Nothing about this is intended for developers, other than the developers that find themselves having to make apps for it.

Those early Vision Pro sales represented the sum total of the users interested in such a thing. Sales have dropped off to near zero since that initial rush.
 
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The best thing I can say about this new device is it will sell better than the Vision Pro. But for me Apple, no flip, no sale.
 
Technically, you're right. But even so, if they do release it, they are the latecomer. I miss the days of Apple leading. I am still happily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, but pouring so much into a foldable seems like an un Apple move. Then again, I have only been an Apple fan since I bought my Mac 128k back in high school. I am probably misreading the situation.
Apple has RARELY ever led or been "first" in anything. Apple by and large have always waited and then refined a particular category.
 
So much of this is just blatantly untrue.

Vision Pro sales were a disaster. 500k units is not enough for Apple to take the device seriously.
It was NOT aimed at developers. It is the most consumer-focused device that they have. It's VR headset that runs iPad apps. Nothing about this is intended for developers, other than the developers that find themselves having to make apps for it.

Those early Vision Pro sales represented the sum total of the users interested in such a thing. Sales have dropped off to near zero since that initial rush.
Speaking of things that are untrue. Again I ask, I assume that you have evidence that supports your claim of AVP sales being a "disaster"?
 
So much of this is just blatantly untrue.

Vision Pro sales were a disaster. 500k units is not enough for Apple to take the device seriously.
It was NOT aimed at developers. It is the most consumer-focused device that they have. It's VR headset that runs iPad apps. Nothing about this is intended for developers, other than the developers that find themselves having to make apps for it.

Those early Vision Pro sales represented the sum total of the users interested in such a thing. Sales have dropped off to near zero since that initial rush.
I dont believe you know what you are talking about.
 
Technically, you're right. But even so, if they do release it, they are the latecomer. I miss the days of Apple leading. I am still happily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, but pouring so much into a foldable seems like an un Apple move. Then again, I have only been an Apple fan since I bought my Mac 128k back in high school. I am probably misreading the situation.
Yes, just like Apple had the first personal computer, mp3 player, smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch. Oh hang on, they weren’t first with any of those.
 
I remember the good old days when a used car cost $2000. I was excited about the prospect of a foldable from Apple because it would have been smaller than their current phone offerings. But there’s no way I’d spend that much for it.
 
If they can make it about as thick as my current iPhone 15 pro without the huge camera bump (with reduced camera spec is fine for me) with some form of "front" screen for notifications/caller ID etc. when closed this would be awesome for me - calls generally taken via headphones, increased screen for Safari/games and easier to read documents. Chuck in better note taking via Apple Intelligence and this would replace my iPad for work (would continue to use work PC for majority of my work). Then I could think about a simple flip phone for calls when out and about - or even just use my Apple Watch.
 
OK, good for you. I do.

It was widely reported that Apple could only make 400k to 500k AVPs in year one, due to the screens. A poster arguing Apple wouldn’t sell a product where they could only make 500k needs to cite sources showing why all the previous reporting was wrong.

The idea that Apple expected an entirely new product category that starts at more than the average American’s monthly take home pay to be a smash hit just belies all rational thought. Apple’s executives and product managers all have business degrees from top schools. They’re not stupid. Of course the marketing wasn’t “it’s not for you” but It didn’t need to be, because of where they priced it.

The product was clearly aimed at developers and early adopters to help create content so that there is stuff there when the price and weight get to a reasonable place. Now you can argue about whether THAT plan was a success, or whether or not they should have held off for a year or two so they could get the price down, or whether or not sales were slower than Apple expected, but to argue Apple expected a $4,000 device to be a smash hit is just silly.

Back on topic, I suspect the foldable phone will sell well. I’m definitely interested in one.
 


Apple supplier Foxconn is expected to officially start producing Apple's foldable iPhone late in the third quarter of 2025 (late September), or early in the fourth quarter (October), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. Apple plans to launch the device in the fall of 2026 as part of the iPhone 18 lineup.

Foldable-iPhone-2023-Feature-Homescreen.jpg

Though the September/October 2025 timeline is fast approaching, Kuo says that many component specifications have not yet been finalized. What is finished, though, is the foldable display, which will be produced by Samsung Display.

Rumors suggest that the foldable iPhone will feature a display that's around 5.5 inches when closed, and 7.8 inches when opened up. It will fold in half like a book, similar to the Galaxy Fold devices, rather than the Galaxy Flip.

The foldable iPhone could be as thin as 4.5mm when unfolded, and 9 to 9.5mm when it's closed, which would make it incredibly thin when used in its full-screen mode. Apple put considerable effort into hinge design, and the device is expected to have almost no visible crease. It will use under-display cameras, though it may feature some kind of Touch ID authentication feature rather than Face ID due to space constraints. It will, of course, be expensive. In the past, Kuo has said he expects Apple to price the foldable iPhone at $2,000 to $2,500, and that was before Apple was facing steep tariffs in China.

Kuo expects that Samsung Display will produce around seven to eight million foldable panels for the foldable iPhone in 2026, with Apple placing an order for 15 to 20 million total foldable iPhones. Kuo suspects that the 15 to 20 million foldable devices will last Apple two to three years, with demand somewhat limited due to the cost of the smartphone.

Right now, rumors suggest that Apple is aiming for a fall 2026 launch, but Kuo warns that Apple's plans "remain subject to change" prior to when the project officially reaches the production stage.

Article Link: Apple's Foldable iPhone Production to Begin This Fall for 2026 Release
I think the success or failure will depend on how ‘almost’ no crease is.
 
It'll be a hit simply because a lot of people are really itchy for something new; rather than a rehash of something they've had for the last 7 years.

The price will be sky high, and that'll limit its potential market; but at the same time there are lots of wealthy people out there who'll spend the $2-3k. And then there's those that make bad financial decisions who can't afford it but will still spend the $2-3k
 
Day One for me. I was gonna upgrade my phone this year but I’ll wait. This device will replace my iPhone 14 Pro and iPad mini 7.
 
If you’re going to start production of this device fall 2025, I’d like to have mine then with iOS 26 on it. No need to wait next year for iOS 27 thanks.
 
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