iPhone Fold Said to Come in These Three Storage Options

[awshucks]

Paying double the price of a M5 MBA for half the storage is insane
I know this is poor taste, but the MBA is a foldable too!

 

[epox999]

Another flop in the making, who's in the market for a phone in that price range?

that's just bonkers

 

[Tim Jobs the 2nd]

Paying double the price of a M5 MBA for half the storage is insane

The best example of an apples to oranges argument ever.

 

[The Game 161]

I'm a foldable owner, and money is not a concern, but the iPhone foldable had better be unbelievable if it ends up starting at $2300 + tax. I picked up the OnePlus Open, the Honor Magic V3 Global, the Oppo Find N5, each for around $1600 out the door, and they all came with a case and 80-88w fast charger and cable in the box.

Spec wise OPPO N6 will destroy it but it is what it is. iPhones never will win spec war

 

[ProMotionPotato]

Except the iPhone Air, where the price makes no sense.. But your entirely right.. I still believe trifold is direction to go here and not bi-fold.. seen a few videos of that and it makes more sense to have a complete iPad in your pocket then some weird square thing..

The Air pricing is the anomaly in the current lineup. Sitting between the standard iPhone and the Pro without a completely obvious reason to exist at that price. That's worth noting. Either Apple finds the differentiation or the ladder adjusts. It won't stay incoherent for long.

On the trifold — Apple won't go there yet. The other brands haven't figured it out yet and it remains a niche concept with a fundamental engineering problem. One crease is hard enough to make invisible. Two creases is a different challenge entirely. Apple doesn't ship first generation answers to unsolved problems at flagship prices.

 

[Manon V]

Anything over $1999 will kill the product line for Apple.

Considering good options are under that and Apple’s software on the phone is just about the bottom of the barrel now, they can’t handle the high spot in the market.

Yeah that’s false.

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

The Air pricing is the anomaly in the current lineup. Sitting between the standard iPhone and the Pro without a completely obvious reason to exist at that price. That's worth noting. Either Apple finds the differentiation or the ladder adjusts. It won't stay incoherent for long.

On the trifold — Apple won't go there yet. The other brands haven't figured it out yet and it remains a niche concept with a fundamental engineering problem. One crease is hard enough to make invisible. Two creases is a different challenge entirely. Apple doesn't ship first generation answers to unsolved problems at flagship prices.

I think the reason for air to exist at that point is weight and what’s the word…convenience? Comfort? Ease-of-use? I tried using it in store and that thing is a feather…as for Apple “not shipping 1st gen answers to” I think the only instance that comes to mind is the first iPhone as it truly was unlike anything befor it…correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[ProMotionPotato]

And a huge, bloated lineup is what almost killed Apple back in the 90s.

Fair reference. But the 90s lesson wasn't that big lineups kill companies. It was that incoherent ones do. And Apple in the 90’s was months from bankruptcy with no margin for error. A product that doesn't find its audience now is a footnote. In 1997 it was potentially fatal. The iPhone Air might be the awkward middle child of the current lineup. But if that fails Apple can absorb that in a way they simply couldn't then.

 

[xmarcuswildx]

If this is over $1999 for a base model 256gb, that’s gonna be a no go for me dawg. iPhone Air 2 and 120hz iPad mini.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Folding phones simply cost too much for the added value that they may bring.

 

[ProMotionPotato]

I think the reason for air to exist at that point is weight and what’s the word…convenience? Comfort? Ease-of-use? I tried using it in store and that thing is a feather…as for Apple “not shipping 1st gen answers to” I think the only instance that comes to mind is the first iPhone as it truly was unlike anything befor it…correct me if I’m wrong.

The Air's weight is real and the in the hand experience backs that up. If that's the differentiation Apple is selling then the question is whether enough people will pay Pro adjacent prices for a thinner, lighter standard iPhone. That's the bet. It might work.

On the first iPhone — that's actually the exception that proves the rule. Apple spent years developing it in secret, filed over 200 patents before launch, and Jobs described it as being five years ahead of anything else. That's not shipping a first generation answer to an unsolved problem. That's shipping after the problem was solved internally. The trifold crease problem hasn't been solved by anyone yet. That's the difference.

 

[H00513R]

The fold is a clamshell by a different name.

 

[darngooddesign]

The prices are high. But not astronomical.

I like iPad minis. I’ve got a four year-old iPhone and a mini 6.

I’d like to upgrade both. 🤔 This is probably too high, but it’s not a no yet. It’s a wait and see.

I calculated that an 512GB iPhone Pro and 512GB cellular iPad mini is around 2400 so depending on how you upgrade your devices it might be similar in price.

 

[Mobius77]

The Samsung Z Fold 7 256GB is $1999 from its own website. It will be direct competition.
If any iPhone user always carries around an iPad, then this will be a big selling point.
If Apple launches a fold phone starting from $1999, it is good enough for that market.

Vision Pro is a different market. Until Apple shrinks the glass, I don't think there is any consumer market to adapt to.

 

[boswald]

That costs more than my computer! No chance, Tim. Sorry.

 

[Big_D]

I'll be waiting, until the prices reach sane levels. I find fold mildly interesting, but I can't not see the folds on the existing phones, so I am intruiged to see if Apple really has overcome the problem, if they have, their next thing to overcome is the price barrier.

 

[darngooddesign]

And a huge, bloated lineup is what almost killed Apple back in the 90s.

Remember when Steve Jobs’ Apple had three sizes of iMacs; three sizes of PowerBooks, the top with two screen options; two sizes of iBooks; four iPods with nine Nano colors and five Shuffle colors in different storage options; two MacBook Air sizes; a MacMini; different PowerMacs; an eMac; etc.

People only remember his four quadrants, but don’t remember how many devices Apple offered by the time he passed away.

#stevejobswouldnever

 

[darngooddesign]

The fold is a clamshell by a different name.

Clams do not open sideways and books do not open vertically.

 

[Happy_John]

I was being facetious. Good grief.

As was I. We both should probably added a "/s".

 

[JosephAW]

Maybe they’ll roll out a new battery technology too 🤔📱📱

 

[clg82]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Normally I wouldn't respond to someone who resorts to name-calling, but I'll give an exception. I'm not sure that you really read what I wrote though. Additionally, your reply is suggesting that my personal experiences are invalid and that my opinions are simply the result of being a "fanboy". I'll positive things about iOS and Apple products when I like them. I guess that makes me a "fanboy" in your eyes.

My first smartphones were running Android. I later switched to iPhones because I wanted to try them. I ended up liking iOS and iPhones more. Now, I still have and use an Android phone -- not from work or anything; I have one just so I can keep up on the Android world and Android phones. Is that what Apple "fanboys" do? How many Apple "fanboys" do you know that spend their money on a phone running Android so they can use it when wanted and use it to compare to iPhones? I prefer the design, functionality, and ecosystem of Apple products. I’m not sure how my using both Android and iOS but my preference for iOS makes me a "fanboy".

Also, I use macOS, Linux, and Windows daily. If that context doesn’t change your mind about me being an Apple “fanboy” then I’m not sure of anything will convince you otherwise. Yes, I like Apple products but I use the tools I need to do my work and will give up Apple products the second they no longer allow me to do my work efficiently and cost-effectively.

I kindly suggest spending less time judging others.

If the word "fanboy" offended you, which it seems it has from having to write 3 paragraphs about it. We as a species are in a lot of trouble....

 

[Galas]

LOL for the prices.

For these prices I can buy an MBA + iPhone + iPad Mini and still have money left for a cheeseburger and a drink.

Pass on the cheeseburger, but agree on the rest. I guess there will be some niche market for this. But I'm personally not compelled to spend that much on a foldable. Or any phone for that matter.

 

[macbookj0e]

I miss the days of phones costing 300-500.

 

[transpo1]

$2299
$2599
$2899

Of course, Apple could be putting out misinformation and come in lower than all of these but with storage prices, it seems unlikely.

For that price I buy a MacBook pro

Yes. A lot of people might have to choose between an iPhone Fold and a MacBook Ultra this year. I’d rather have the Ultra.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

The level of pessimism in some of these threads is honestly exhausting. Anything that doesn’t perfectly align with what someone personally wants immediately gets labeled a failure. People keep comparing this to Vision Pro like it’s the same category. It’s not. Vision Pro is a niche product. A phone or foldable phone is something people use all day, every day often replacing both a phone and a tablet. If $2,300 is too expensive for you, that’s totally fine. Don’t buy it. Not every product has to be priced for every person. Personally, I think this is going to be a wildly successful product. I’ll be buying it on day one because it fits my workflow and the kind of work I do. New form factors take time, but writing them off before they even exist just feels like needless negativity.