iPhone Fold: 5 Things We Learned This Week About Apple's Foldable

[KadMac]

I am quickly losing interest in this device. At first, I was really excited but the fact that iPad OS will not be used just destroys it for me. I don't need two iOS apps side by side. The fact that the apps won't be optimized for this device at launch is even more concerning. I think developers will be slow to optimize their apps for the device compared to the many other standard candy bar iPhones out there.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I feel like they went out and decided to make a device zero people were asking for. This feels like Gavin Belson.

 

[MasterControlProgram]

I honestly don’t believe there’s much distinction between iOS and iPadOS. Apple’s layout code has always provided ways of building one app that can alter its layout to fit different screen sizes. Sometimes this is achieved rather crudely just by making everything fit the larger iPad screen but often developers use different storyboard layouts and include things like sidebar navigation which can hide itself when on iOS.

So I think people saying it won’t run iPad apps are not really understanding how iOS/iPadOS layouts work. I would expect on the inner screen apps will just adopt their iPad layout. We’ve already seen all the work Apple has done on iPadOS with resizable app windows, I’m certain this has all been done with the foldable in mind. Opening the foldable will just cause an app to resize itself just as if you’ve dragged the handle to resize an app on the iPad.

 

[svish]

Lack of FaceID is disappointing. $1999 itself will be very costly but hopefully it will not cost more than that. Looking forward to seeing how the software will be optimized.

 

[The Game 161]

I am quickly losing interest in this device. At first, I was really excited but the fact that iPad OS will not be used just destroys it for me. I don't need two iOS apps side by side. The fact that the apps won't be optimized for this device at launch is even more concerning. I think developers will be slow to optimize their apps for the device compared to the many other standard candy bar iPhones out there.

Think you are overthinking this slightly. Due to the aspect ratio there shouldn’t be hardly any adjustment for apps. It should be optimised fine form day 1. If that was an issue Apple would make it use iPad apps so clearly the code for apps is going to be a minor change for developers.

 

[KadMac]

Think you are overthinking this slightly. Due to the aspect ratio there shouldn’t be hardly any adjustment for apps. It should be optimised fine form day 1. If that was an issue Apple would make it use iPad apps so clearly the code for apps is going to be a minor change for developers.

I hope so! As long as the apps are optimized at launch or very shortly thereafter, I am on board.

 

[OUsooner08]

Ergonomically this device is a muddle.

Arms are heavy and this device will require that you use both arms to get anything done when the fold is open, just like an iPad. When faced with the option of using it closed with one hand to get 'things' done or opening it up for a heavy handed, large screen experience, users will go for the easiest option. Caveat: Once the thrill of being able to do it differently has worn off.

I see no value in a device that makes my arms work harder. You?

Having used a couple of folding phones in the past you’re being overly dramatic.

I thoroughly enjoyed both my Samsung Fold 4 and One Plus Open, and having now moved to iPhones I plan on buying the iPhone Fold.

 

[OUsooner08]

What about the durability though? A crease really isn’t the main problem with Foldables, it’s the durability.

If this phone is scratchable with your fingernail like every other foldable out there, and falls apart just from looking at it funny it’ll be dead in the water, and Apple’s reputation will be ruined forever.

Some Foldables can be peeled like an orange…

After all, if you’re paying more than double for this phone, and it isn’t as good as, if not better than the pro models what would be the point?

I would guess you haven’t used a folding phone either recently or at all. I had the One Plus Open and it was very durable. Didn’t have any issues with scratches, the screen, hinge, etc.

 

[eifelbube]

Apple Fold will be crease-free.
Apple Fold 2 will be... even more crease-free 😂

In other words, the Apple Fold generations will be increasingly crease-free.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

In other words, the Apple Fold generations will be increasingly crease-free.

Man, you missed the opportunity for a one word comment: "Increasingly." 😅

Like dish soap, "this new formation is twice as strong as before" every two years. At this point it would be nuclear, or at the least hydrochloric acid.

 

[xxr]

Cue the pessimists. Every single time Apple tries something new the same crowd shows up to declare it dead on arrival. No one wants this. Too expensive. Who would buy it?

News flash just because it’s not for you doesn’t mean it’s not for everyone else.
Some of us actually use our phones as serious tools. A foldable iPhone that opens into an iPad-mini-style workspace could be incredibly powerful for productivity, multitasking, reading docs, email, travel, business you name it. And yes, it’ll probably cost $2k+. That’s fine. People drop that much on Starbucks in a year, golf clubs, handbags, or gaming rigs without blinking. Different people value different things.

Personally, I think this is one of the most exciting directions Apple has taken in years. I’ll be buying one day one and using the heck out of it in my career and day to day life. If it’s not for you..great. Don’t buy it. But the constant this will fail because I wouldn’t buy it mindset is honestly exhausting.

LOL - nobody doubts apple’s ability to sell sub-standard products to the masses.

The fold has Vision Pro energy to it - a rushed, poorly thought out, hideous looking product to try and jump in a segment for the sake of market share.

Why wouldn’t you give a full iPad experience to the user when unfolded..

Why wouldn’t you include the same camera system as on the phones..

That’s part of what makes it dead on arrival..

The usual bs of “don’t want to cannibalise” iPads / iPhones instead of what’s best for the user experience.

Tim cook’s Apple in a nutshell.

What happened to the mini iPhones? Nothing has any thought or purpose behind it. Throw ideas at a wall and see what sticks

I guess those who are continuously disappointed with apple’s releases remember a time when they made excellent, intentional products.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

LOL - nobody doubts apple’s ability to sell sub-standard products to the masses.

The fold has Vision Pro energy to it - a rushed, poorly thought out, hideous looking product to try and jump in a segment for the sake of market share.

Why wouldn’t you give a full iPad experience to the user when unfolded..

Why wouldn’t you include the same camera system as on the phones..

That’s part of what makes it dead on arrival..

The usual bs of “don’t want to cannibalise” iPads / iPhones instead of what’s best for the user experience.

Tim cook’s Apple in a nutshell.

What happened to the mini iPhones? Nothing has any thought or purpose behind it. Throw ideas at a wall and see what sticks

I guess those who are continuously disappointed with apple’s releases remember a time when they made excellent, intentional products.

You’re criticizing a product that hasn’t even been released yet while simultaneously claiming Apple doesn’t think things through. That’s a pretty wild contradiction. Apple is arguably the most deliberate product company on the planet. They routinely wait years before entering a category and then iterate the hell out of it.

The iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, even the iPad were all called unnecessary, overpriced, or dead on arrival by people making the exact same arguments you are right now. And the why isn’t it a full iPad when unfolded take is exactly the kind of armchair product design that ignores physics, thermals, battery constraints, and weight. You don’t just magically cram an iPad Pro camera system, battery, and chip cooling into a foldable chassis without trade-offs.

If the price or concept isn’t for you, that’s totally fine. Don’t buy it. But declaring a product dead on arrival before anyone has even touched one is peak internet pessimism. Some of us are excited to see what Apple does with the category instead of rooting for it to fail.

 

[Terry2023]

This looks like it has some potential... in the Fold/28.

Apple Vision Pro works (for me) because there is nothing else like it. But now we have a combo device that is nearly as expensive as AVP, and delivers a worse experience than an iPhone. I can't really comment on how unfolded it compares to the bottom of the line iPad. But it certainly isn't going to displace the iPad Pro.

I don't so much think this is a solution seeking a problem as it is Apple trying to establish a new device upgrade stream. I admit to swimming fairly happily in that stream updating more often than I need to. But this leaves such a vast path for upgrading Apple may have lost the message that the first stepping stone onto this path needs to have something compelling to offer.

In 3-5 years they may have something good. For now WAY too much has been written about the crease, the notch, and FaceId. The biggest problem Apple has with all their devices is the Pro Max is really hitting the upper end of what is ergonomically practical. Much like the iPhone 12 when they abandoned thin in exchange for other capabilities they need to pivot away from continuously bigger screens. But I can't see how this device accomplishes that. It has a smaller screen than a Max but you can somewhat pointlessly flip into the smallest iPad they've made in a decade -- and it will be running an OS roughly equivalent to iPadOS 15. Meanwhile you give up the fantastic cameras - which seem to be why they cannot give the 17 Air away.

 

[xxr]

You’re criticizing a product that hasn’t even been released yet while simultaneously claiming Apple doesn’t think things through. That’s a pretty wild contradiction. Apple is arguably the most deliberate product company on the planet. They routinely wait years before entering a category and then iterate the hell out of it.

The iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, even the iPad were all called unnecessary, overpriced, or dead on arrival by people making the exact same arguments you are right now. And the why isn’t it a full iPad when unfolded take is exactly the kind of armchair product design that ignores physics, thermals, battery constraints, and weight. You don’t just magically cram an iPad Pro camera system, battery, and chip cooling into a foldable chassis without trade-offs.

If the price or concept isn’t for you, that’s totally fine. Don’t buy it. But declaring a product dead on arrival before anyone has even touched one is peak internet pessimism. Some of us are excited to see what Apple does with the category instead of rooting for it to fail.

😂😂 “Armchair product design” is exactly what you’re doing, except leading with blind evangelism.

Enjoy your device, with all your extensive engineering knowledge, knowing Tim Cook did the very best he could for you and your user experience, in the face of those evil laws of thermodynamics.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

You seem confused about the difference between blind evangelism and acknowledging basic engineering constraints. But you do you boo. 😂

 

[xxr]

You seem confused about the difference between blind evangelism and acknowledging basic engineering constraints. But you do you boo. 😂

Nope. You’ve plucked these “constraints” out of thin air in a desperate attempt to justify your fervent glazing.

iOS is a software choice. The A20 is 2nm efficient. In what universe is iPadOS a physics defying feat.

The camera array is thick, sure, but Apple haven’t historically shied away from gargantuan camera bumps at the expense of aesthetics.

What you’re seeing in the fold is a solid compromise made for the sake of cost reduction and revenue extraction. Enter an existing market to capture market share, do the bare minimum required. Make sure to protect existing product line revenue.

This is nothing like the iPod, iPhone or iPad. It’s lazy, unremarkable and overpriced.

Some of us have higher standards but “you do you boo 😂”

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Nope. You’ve plucked these “constraints” out of thin air in a desperate attempt to justify your fervent glazing.

iOS is a software choice. The A20 is 2nm efficient. In what universe is iPadOS a physics defying feat.

The camera array is thick, sure, but Apple haven’t historically shied away from gargantuan camera bumps at the expense of aesthetics.

What you’re seeing in the fold is a solid compromise made for the sake of cost reduction and revenue extraction. Enter an existing market to capture market share, do the bare minimum required. Make sure to protect existing product line revenue.

This is nothing like the iPod, iPhone or iPad. It’s lazy, unremarkable and overpriced.

Some of us have higher standards but “you do you boo 😂”

The level of certainty you have about a device that hasn’t even been announced yet is honestly impressive. You’ve apparently decoded Apple’s hardware compromises, pricing strategy, and market failure from a rumor thread. That’s not insight it’s just pessimism pretending to be expertise.
Some of us will wait until the product actually exists before writing the obituary. I won’t be responding to another one of your posts. ✌️

 

[OUsooner08]

Even if I had the money for this, I wouldn't buy it anyway if that's the way it turns out. It's too big, looks too heavy, and just ugly to me. But until I see the final product I guess I'll bite my tongue. I hope those that do get one enjoy it, though.

The irony of criticizing a product that’s not even out, just to say “until you see the final product I guess I’ll bite my tongue.” 🤪

 

[boswald]

The irony of criticizing a product that’s not even out, just to say “until you see the final product I guess I’ll bite my tongue.” 🤪

Well I don't want to be too harsh, you know? It's just a first impression.

 

[OUsooner08]

Ain’t hard to look up reviews buddy. Name me one that doesn’t have durability issues, with proof to back it up?

One Plus Open, had it for 2 years, dropped multiple times, never had issues. Screen held up great. I just retired it in January when I switched to an iPhone 17.

 

[OUsooner08]

I am quickly losing interest in this device. At first, I was really excited but the fact that iPad OS will not be used just destroys it for me. I don't need two iOS apps side by side. The fact that the apps won't be optimized for this device at launch is even more concerning. I think developers will be slow to optimize their apps for the device compared to the many other standard candy bar iPhones out there.

You’re commenting on rumors. Why not wait and see?

 

[VaruLV]

This is ridiculous - it's probably gonna cost around/above 2000 USD and definitely way above 2000 EUR, yet rumors state that it will start with 256GB of storage?! That's unreal and stingy even for Tim!

 

[KadMac]

You’re commenting on rumors. Why not wait and see?

Yes, just a rumor and a gut reaction. I hope it looks great and functions well because I would love to get it.