Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
i bet it be priced at $2,000 to $2500 And that is this for the base model you then need to dish out 3,000 or more for higher storage so I think that folding iPhone will be out of reach for many
 
Maybe this is where the iPad mini is heading. Not an iPhone since it’s a risky endeavor for the main cash cow, but the iPad mini can be an experiment. Foldable iPad mini for a more compact stowing.
And the following year they will turn it into a phone.
“A foldable iPad, a phone - are you getting it?”

uBroke, starting at $5,999.
 
This is probably one of the things, that only Apple can pull off.
I do not see a benefit in the current implementations - but properly
done, that could be a great all-round device.

Ordinarily I would agree with you - apple doesn’t usually introduce a technology just because it exists and they can do so. They do it only when it solves a problem (or at least, when they think it solves a problem). So I don’t expect them to release a folding phone with a big crease, a scratchable screen, or double iphone thickness. Guess we’ll see.
 
  • Like
Reactions: amartinez1660
I heavily use both iPhone and iPad. So in theory, this would be the perfect product. But it feels like too many compromises akin to, dare I say, a toaster-fridge combo??
 
I am starting to suspect Ming-Chi Kou is Tim Cook in disguise. Its likely Apple started working on this problem of foldable displays the same day Samsung launched its disastrous first gen Fold. I remember an article about Jony Ive discussing the technical problems based on the launch. Personally, at this point, its starting to look like Apple is entering every market and producing every form factor as a responsive/defensive tactic, not because they think they can introduce something innovative and valuable.
 
Maybe this is where the iPad mini is heading. Not an iPhone since it’s a risky endeavor for the main cash cow, but the iPad mini can be an experiment. Foldable iPad mini for a more compact stowing.
I agree. They will call it an iPad.
 
The date coincides nicely with the rumored release of AR/VR glasses by Apple. Maybe something got lost in translation, when the original tipster said something about “the screen will unfold in front of you“ and actually meant it in a metaphorical way: The glasses providing a big virtual screen in a small physical package.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KeithBN and sintra1
The date coincidences nicely with the rumored release of AR/VR glasses by Apple. Maybe something got lost in translation, when the original tipster said something about “the screen will unfold in front of you“ and actually meant it in a metaphorical way: The glasses providing a big virtual screen in a small physical package.

And the touch interface he’s referring to is for your eyelashes then, I suppose?
 
Why Call Android users Stupid?
Take a look at this chart. Android still has almost 73 percent of the mobile OS Market.

Android is a free to use OS. the market share isn’t exactly relevant in the context of talking about hardware.

Further I fear you haven’t comprehended the content of article have you?

Which is about future technologies rather than the current Samsung Huawei and Motorola Razr iterations with their inherently questionable build quality issues, limited use appeal and high price points.

Folding and rolling technologies are imho more suited to other product groups such VR glass, wearables, watches and potential commercial applications, for instance in immersive museum and art gallery exhibitions. Oh and gaming.
Have a roll (map) and VR glasses and you are in a different world.

And right now the Razr is the only one that is using the current form factor and technologies in anyway useful; effectively the flip is ideal. Its truly compact and remains primarily a PHONE not some half assed dual function gadget.Combined with retro style to boot !
 
A foldable phone doesn’t seem consistent with Apple’s design philosophy, which is to create the best possible device and user experience. Unless Apple has discovered a way to fold glass, a folding display will always be inferior to a non-folding glass display. A folding phone also means it will be at least twice as thick as a non-folding version.

Maybe a bigger issue, though, is aspect ratio. The iPad has a pleasing aspect ratio, as do the screens on a MacBook or iMac. Imagine folding any of those screens in half, though, and what do you get? Either a tall, skinny aspect ratio (like on the Galaxy Fold), or something more like a square, neither of which is ideal for a phone.

Another big problem is ergonomics. A phone shouldn’t require two hands to operate. Having to unfold a phone to answer a call or view notifications is no good, but what’s the alternative — adding another screen to the outside, which further adds to the thickness? That’s a compromise to compensate for another compromise.

A folding device like an iPad mini that opens into a larger iPad would avoid the ergonomics and aspect ratio issues, but that seems like a solution in search of a problem. Why not just get a full-size iPad, then, which would be much thinner and have a superior screen? Is there any scenario where a folding device can be best of class?
 
And the touch interface he’s referring to is for your eyelashes then, I suppose?
Kuo makes a living of connecting information dots for his customers. If the dots in this case would have been e.g. “[Apple] screen unfolding”, “general trend for foldable screens”, ”silver nanowire superior for foldable screens” and “Apple using silver nanowire already in an existing product” - Kuo could have concluded a “story” for his customers, which in itself sounds sufficiently logical.

Kuo has a good track record and could be spot on with this as well. However, unless there have been unknown technological breakthroughs, allowing for game-changing options in designing and producing such “foldable/rollable” screens, I simply can’t imagine Apple releasing such a product with all its inherent problems at this point in time.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.