Apparently IDC believes a bunch will care very much for this product. I’m sure someone will be glad to have your unit.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone Fold Expected to Claim 22% of Foldable Market, 34% of Revenue in First Year
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Apparently IDC believes a bunch will care very much for this product. I’m sure someone will be glad to have your unit.
Eh, 22% of a tiny, tiny market isn't much to write home about.
It isn't innovative, though. It folds. That particular novelty wore off years ago, after the 3rd or 4th Galaxy Fold. Other than that this will just be a thicc iPhone with inferior cameras and no Face ID 90% of the time, that (rarely) turns into an awkward, fragile iPad mini.
According to IDC Apple is going to reinvent the foldable market. But we will see.
Rarely has a hybrid product that is worse than the two products it is combining individually yet costs more been successful. Convenience of having one device (which is debateable) and overall weight savings will only go so far IMO. Still interested in seeing what Apple comes up with and happy for that group who does want it.
First few iterations, Apple mayl be testing the waters by not releasing most wanted features like Top of the line Camera System (like Z Fold), Motion Pro, Face ID, higher RAM (than Pro Max), high resolution display (they may save it for later editions if successful), bigger display and so on. At $2500-$3000 (1 TB will cost close to this price), people expectations will be that of powerful Mac Book Pro which has M5,M4 Pro, M4 Max whereas Fold may be having A20 Pro which may not perform like true laptop like performance. Worst case scenario, iPad Pro may be beating the Fold in many areas where the actual bigger screen use cases come in to picture. Unless Apple abandons iPhone Pro line series and adjust the pricing that is on the sweat spot between Pro Max, iPad and Mac Book Pro, it will be confusing for many consumers whether to go for another screen slab.
if its a flip (like the motorola) i am in.
if its a fold i am out.
if its a fold i am out.
The foldable market is the ultra-premium segment of the smartphone market. And we all know, Apple dominates when it comes to the high-end premium market. I'd expect Apple to have 90% marketshare before the second generation model is released.
There's a strong argument for each of them, which like any other device depends on each persons use case, preferences and price sensitivity.
My first hand experience with the Z Fold7 was such an eye opener. Initially I scoffed at the idea, but once a colleague at work showed me his and shared the experience I decided to buy one and see for myself. For my use case it’s ideal.
The Flip form factor also seems quite appealing. If not for the many benefits and the type of work I accomplish with my Z Fold7 I'd probably go for a flip.
I remain very interested in what Apple brings to market in this fascination new segment.
It’s hard to imagine Apple dominating at 90% but I do agree with your point. Apple is clearly the master of premium pricing.
mmm yes. iphones shattering volume records year after year; those economies of scale price breaks should be here any minute.
Have you been living under a rock?
Why do you think $799 iPhone 17 is cheaper and better in every way than $999 iPhone X?
If you take inflation into account, iPhone 17 is $600 in 2017 dollars.
That's not really a valid comparison.
The X was the "pro" model of that year; released alongside the iphone 8 which was $699.
The next year, the XS replaced the X as the "pro" model at $999, and a XS Max for $1099, and the XR released as the lower model.
Apple has had multiple tiers of iphone going back to the 5S/5C days, while it's fair to say that an 11Pro is probably a poorer phone than a much cheaper 16e, side by side. It's a bit of a misleading comparison.
Of course it's a valid comparison. You're focused on the marketing instead of the actual tech components.
The price of technology cascades down. $749 iPhone XR received Face ID. $699 iPhone 11 got a second camera. $799 iPhone 12 added OLED.
The components in Apple's folding iPhone will cascade down.
But the reality is these forums are filled with people bangig on about upgrading from a Pro Max 16 to a Pro Max 17, or arguing about Pro vs Air.
The general users are happily enjoyimg the benefity of incremental updates flowing down from the prestige products tech to the products the majority of people that buy.
Forums are generały popularem by idiotyzm, on all sides of the debates. And idiots tend to want something to be outrafed about, or be able to drop you they need maxed out ram and the latest shiniest tech ( they probably don’t).
, rather than quietly, non-grandstandedly byt the things they need at the price point that benefits them the most.
Idiots are not great at making sound financial decision.
TL;DR. the vast amount of consumers don’t pay attention to forum commenters, and nor should they. Tech does get better and cheaper over time, but folding phones are going to be a prestige, overpriced niche item for a long time into the future. Because as long as a supported „iPhone fold” is more expensive than a base iPhone + a base iPad, it’s only going to sell a minute fraction of the sales volume of a base iPhone or a base iPad. Because Apple are chasing the show-off and tech-idiot market with a folding phone, not their main customer-base.
Last edited:
If your argument is about technical progress, then sure a current phone will crush any phone from a decade ago on all objective fronts except maybe build quality.
The fact of the matter is though the top phone gets more expensive over time. It of course gets better along with it.
What's there to trickle down about the fold? the core technology is the folding mechanism. They're not cascading that down to their other models unless you're expecting that one day all their phones will fold.
Perhaps the fold will pioneer under display cameras like the samsung fold 1 did; and maybe that'll cascade down to an iphone 22 or something. But the folding mechanism (or gimmick depending on your pov) will remain purely in the realm of their folding series.
The fold is being positioned as their premium product; they will eventually make a cheaper fold; or maybe a more expensive one; but the folds occupy a higher position in apple's product heirarchy. They won't be releasing a budget fold at a price lower than a regular iphone.
Nobody is arguing about the price of the top phone. Of course there will be cheaper Apple foldables.
We've seen this story many times: iPhone X, iPad Pro, Watch. All premium technologies, whether its Face ID, cameras, or OLED cascade down in price.
The major cost for a foldable is the 1) display, 2) hinges, 3) materials. All of those scale with volume.
There some myopic comments saying foldables won't be successful because it's a gimmick. Somehow, iPhone and iPad are so successful, but when combined, it becomes a failure? The only thing holding back foldables is price and quality. Apple can tackle both.
Things with moving part break far more often than things with less or no moving parts. A hinge is a moving part.
Stop trying to belittle valid opinions just because they don’t agree with your own.
When was the last time you heard complaints about hinges on AirPods case, MacBook, or Watch digital crown? Those can be designed well and tested. And Apple isn't exactly a first mover. Other players have already made early mistakes for Apple to learn from.
Better to worry about potential foldable UI issues in iOS 27.
I don't think it's a gimmick at all, i rather look forward to it.
The fold will get cheaper but it won't be cheap. Likewise, bleeding edge at any given year will always be a premium
Apple are trying to raise the ASP of all their units, that much is very clear.
While they might eventually release a $1700 foldable, or maybe even a $1500 foldable SE, it won't drop to the price levels that the current regular/pro/max.
In fact i think apple are more likely to infill the gap between a $1200 device and a $2400 device with more expensive slab models.
I didn’t say “more excitement”. I said it was more relevant for me to buy.
The fact so many ridicule a product that they have never held in their hand is quite interesting to me though.
Strawman.