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Bank of America Analyst Says Apple Plans to Launch Foldable iPhone in 2020

Has BofA ever made any predictions when it comes to iPhone rumors??? I was more surprised to see it was BofA Merrill Lynch to be honest. If it is not speculated by Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities I don't bother remembering the rumor. lol
 
78Bandit said:
Any foldable phone is going to need the display on the outside of the fold, not on the inside as the drawings indicate. I want to quickly check for messages without having to pull the device completely out of my pocket and open it up. Unless they are going to put a separate display on the outside too (more money, thicker, and higher power consumption), then there will be no way to see or quickly respond to messages.
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It's possible to put it on the outside but is more difficult than on the inside, if it's on the outside the radius where it bends is bigger than when it's flat, thus the display has to go somewhere, slide outwards.
If it's on the inside it's easier, leave an empty void/space behind the middle display section so that the display can go somewhere.




The flip display won't happen, I am pretty sure a display which rolls up into a 'tube' is much more likely, but likely only for tablets/iPads, not for (i)phones.
 
ApfelKuchen said:
The engineering challenges are very substantial. The principle benefit would be to put a much larger screen into a traditional iPhone-sized package. Putting today's screen sizes into smaller packages doesn't seem quite as compelling, but you never know. Like Steve said, we won't know what we want until they show it to us.

However, in the end, if it's an iPhone, then it needs to be held to an ear during a conversation. If it folds out to double the size of a plus-sized iPhone... not so easy to hold to your ear. Presumably, for that usage, it'd be used while folded, and only unfolded when a larger screen is desired...

Anyway, we can all come up with reasons we think it wouldn't work. It would be very intriguing indeed if it did work well, and that everyone, once they saw it, could see how it would improve their usage experience.
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Bluetooth changes this..

Why hold phone of any size up to your ear today, when we have bluetooth which will sort this out.
 
kemal said:
Intentionally?
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA !!!! I love it.


Foldable displays is just a demonstration of the possibilities of new technology in displays, i see it for wristbands and making them part of your attire but for phones or anything bigger, forget it, will just be silly !!!
 
I think this is very similar to when it was rumored that the iPhone would have a “teardrop shape” and everyone thought we were getting a pear...

By foldable, I don’t think they mean something that will open and close like a flip phone. I think it’ll be a flexible phone to counteract the fragility of screens. Less rigid components mean less can break when you drop it. We could possibly see a phone that you won’t have to worry about the screen cracking.
 
Phones are like the pedal bike and the toothbrush. When you try to reinvent them they end up worse.
 
This is why this rumour is not coming from Ming or mark
foldable oled can be obsolete after 500 foldings
 
Can Apple first create a cord wrapping solution that doesn't break or come undone for the Macbooks? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, like a retractable cable?
 
iReality85 said:
It is pretty crazy, isn't it? The architectural applications for OLED alone will be impressive.

Here's LG's + LuFlux's actual presser from their expo in Germany last week, with lots of additional photos.

Looks straight out of the future. Only, it's now! :)

https://exhibitorsearch.messefrankfurt.com/images/original/userdata/bata/135714/5aaf94185344a.pdf
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WOW! I want about 10 of the products shown in that PDF... whether it ever yields an expandable phone screen or not. Very cool.
 
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If this was going to happen by 2020 we would already be seing foldable displays on the market. Apple will not be the first.
 
fokmik said:
This is why this rumour is not coming from Ming or mark
foldable oled can be obsolete after 500 foldings
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Reasons to replace phones more regularly seems like something desirable for the modern Apple;)
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vpro said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA !!!! I love it.

Foldable displays is just a demonstration of the possibilities of new technology in displays, i see it for wristbands and making them part of your attire but for phones or anything bigger, forget it, will just be silly !!!
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One of the major TV manufactures demoed a gigantic TV screen with this technology that rolled up and basically disappeared when not in use. I forget which right now but I just saw this story (with pics) in the last month or two- maybe a CES demo? The estimated price was insane as it always in when something is brand new and gee whiz wow. If it gets some legs under it, pricing wouldn't stay insane.

Edit: it might have been LG. Here's a story about it. But I think they or someone else has a much bigger version of the same.
 
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HobeSoundDarryl said:
Reasons to replace phones more regularly seems like something desirable for the modern Apple;)
[doublepost=1521829855][/doublepost]

One of the major TV manufactures demoed a gigantic TV screen with this technology that rolled up and basically disappeared when not in use. I forget which right now but I just saw this story (with pics) in the last month or two- maybe a CES demo? The estimated price was insane as it always in when something is brand new and gee whiz wow. If it gets some legs under it, pricing wouldn't stay insane.

Edit: it was LG. Here's a story about it.
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yes but remember that you still have 1 year warranty, and if these breaks so often in that 1 year..not good profits for apple...so i think this will remain just a prototype
 
MacLawyer said:
I love how these suppliers blab about possible upcoming products. You can bet that the Android manufacturers read this report and are having meetings this morning.
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HallStevenson said:
Meetings ? Whoop-de-doo ! Do you know how long the hardware development aspect of something like this takes ? If Samsung, HTC, LG, etc decided to immediately pursue this type of design, they'd be 1-2 years behind Apple right from the start.
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Flexible phone concepts have been around for a very long time, even predating the iPhone.

2005_nokia888.png


More importantly, companies like Samsung have been patenting folding designs, and showing off flexible and folding phone prototypes since at least 2010.

samsung_flex1.png


2013_samsung_flex.png


flexible.gif


In fact, years ago Samsung originally reserved the name "Galaxy X" for their first folding phone, and a limited edition model is expected as soon as it's practical.

A lot of people hoped it would come out last year. E.g. this 2016 prediction for 2017:

So other companies are a half decade or more ahead of Apple at this point. Heck, Samsung and LG would likely supply Apple with their folding displays.
 
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So Apple is jumping on the Galaxy X train.
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MacLawyer said:
I love how these suppliers blab about possible upcoming products. You can bet that the Android manufacturers read this report and are having meetings this morning.
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Are you sure you don't have it the other way around? You meant Apple has had meetings around the possibility of a folding iPhone after hearing about this from 2011 from other makers.
 
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I don’t doubt that it will happen but I’d put a lot of money against it happening in 2020. 2024, maybe.
 
bladerunner2000 said:
The iPad is a useless device. Does nothing a phone can't do and does less than a laptop can. It doesn't bridge the gap nor does it solve any problem.

And yet Apple consumers still buy it.
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Because Apple consumers obviously like it.

It’s like saying a swimming pool is just a large bath tub. Yes, they’re both just containers full of water. Used in completely different ways, entirely due to scale.

That’s my favorite analogy against hard headed opinions such as yours. If you think a cramped sub-5” display offers the same experience as a 10-13” display, then go ahead and keep thinking that. And if you think PC software is the only way to justify 10-13” software, that’s fine by me. I’ll continue to use and enjoy my iPad more than I’ve ever enjoyed my Mac, while you keep your head in the sand.
 
err404 said:
Not going to happen. At least not with a time to market of two years.
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Yeah, I also seriously doubt a foldable iPhone could arrive in only two years. Not earlier than 2022 or 2023. To be honest, I would probably wait for the 2nd generation with such a radical shift in design and manufacturing of a smartphone. I would be surprised if there were no issues with the first generation.
 
First one to get this flexibility will be Apple Watch, followed by the iPhone tripple XxX. I can see a positive side to this, smaller form factor with extendability as needed.

However, there‘s something „dated“ about this design and I can‘t get around that. Maybe they‘ll do it origami-style. :)
 
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