Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Kuo: iPhone Fold Production Challenges Could Limit Supply Next Year

switz said:
Hopefully those cargo pant pockets will get bigger for the larger volume space required for a folding phone. The hip pocket on a pair of jeans would stain to hold a double phone now.

Also, if in a hip pocket, will sitting on a fold phone cause hinge issues or break the glass?😳
Click to expand...
I've owned 9 foldables to date, starting with the Z Fold 3, and I've had no issues putting them in the hip pocket of any of my jeans. The new foldables, like the Z Fold 7 that I currently own, are more comfortable in the hip pocket of my jeans that the iPhone Pro Max ever was.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Lerxt, sos47, Dfor83 and 2 others
I don't make purchasing decisions until a product actually exists, but I'll probably be passing on this one for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I purchased a 17 Pro Max this year so I definitely won't need a new phone next year. Only once have I ever upgraded a phone after just one year.
Second, as this is essentially a new product for Apple, I'm sure that the second generation model will probably be a substantial improvement. Not to say that I don't think that the 1st gen will be good, but Apple has a habit of having notable omissions on 1st gen products and then fixing it for the 2nd gen. For example, the 1st gen iPhone not having the App Store, or the 1st gen iPad Mini not having a Retina Display, or the 1st gen Macbook Air... well, just about everything about the 1st gen MBA. 😅
 
dominiongamma said:
You don’t have to buy it. Why limit people’s choices ?
Click to expand...
Not “limiting other people’s choices”. Just saying he doesn’t want one and hoping it doesn’t become the norm, as in limiting his choice to not have one. I feel the same. If people want one, fantastic. I absolutely do not want one. As long as non- foldables remain available - which I have no doubt they will - everyone is happy.
 
Looking forward to this. I've used plenty of Foldables already, and not one of them as disappointed. Currently use my second line on the Fold 7. Can't wait to see what the foldable experience is like on iOS platform.
 
  • Like
Reactions: transpo1 and iMac The Knife
Makes zero sense unless Apple does something drastic with their OS. We need a far more powerful version of IOS/ipadOS to make use of this form factor. Something much closer to actual OS X. Without that, I see no reason for paying for the complexity and size of a foldable phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macfacts
switz said:
Hopefully those cargo pant pockets will get bigger for the larger volume space required for a folding phone. The hip pocket on a pair of jeans would stain to hold a double phone now.

Also, if in a hip pocket, will sitting on a fold phone cause hinge issues or break the glass?😳
Click to expand...
Most modern folding phones are barely any thicker when folded than an iPhone 17 Pro Max. In fact, most people expect that the folding iPhone will basically be like 2 iPhone Airs together, which isn't too think.

To answer your durability question, I would imagine that you would have to sit on it in a way that would be pretty uncomfortable to cause that kind of damage.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: johnnygee and iMac The Knife
joeblow7777 said:
I don't make purchasing decisions until a product actually exists, but I'll probably be passing on this one for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I purchased a 17 Pro Max this year so I definitely won't need a new phone next year. Only once have I ever upgraded a phone after just one year.
Second, as this is essentially a new product for Apple, I'm sure that the second generation model will probably be a substantial improvement. Not to say that I don't think that the 1st gen will be good, but Apple has a habit of having notable omissions on 1st gen products and then fixing it for the 2nd gen. For example, the 1st gen iPhone not having the App Store, or the 1st gen iPad Mini not having a Retina Display, or the 1st gen Macbook Air... well, just about everything about the 1st gen MBA. 😅
Click to expand...
I’m fortunate to be able to afford a lot of Apple gear, but I agree with waiting for the second generation. This product carries high risk, with many questions around bending, scratching, battery life, and overall longevity. Plus, we don’t yet know if there will be apps that truly take advantage of the additional space.
 
So glad I have absolutely NO interest in it then. Firstly, because I don't like the idea of being a beta tester and that's what typically happens when buying the 1st generation of anything. And second, the rumored $2399+ price point is just WAY too high imo. The rumored lack of faceID is a major deterrent for me as well.

Will likely hold onto my 17 Pro Max until the Air or Fold gen 2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iPAU
joshwithachance said:
So glad I have absolutely NO interest in it then. Firstly, because I don't like the idea of being a beta tester and that's what typically happens when buying the 1st generation of anything. And second, the rumored $2399+ price point is just WAY too high imo. The rumored lack of faceID is a major deterrent for me as well.

Will likely hold onto my 17 Pro Max until the Air or Fold gen 2.
Click to expand...

First gen specifically for Apple releasing it as their own product, but pretty much 7th gen foldable screen & parts that they are sourcing from Samsung 🤷‍♂️
 
  • Like
Reactions: iMac The Knife
switz said:
Hopefully those cargo pant pockets will get bigger for the larger volume space required for a folding phone. The hip pocket on a pair of jeans would stain to hold a double phone now.

Also, if in a hip pocket, will sitting on a fold phone cause hinge issues or break the glass?😳
Click to expand...

I haven't worn cargo pants, outside of backpacking and hiking, since the late 90s. Are they still popular?
 
Kylo83 said:
This will flop like the air people don’t want gimmicks and foldable is that compromise on flagship features
Click to expand...
The biggest compromise with the Air was battery life, but since the Fold is rumored to be basically two Airs and with each half containing a battery pack, that should be somewhat mitigated, even accounting for the larger screen it needs to drive.

"Flagship Feature" is also kind of a nebulous concept since it can mean different things to different people. For some the ability to fold out into a pseudo-tablet is a flagship feature.
 
  • Like
Reactions: repoman016
This folding iPhone will fail. Samsung has the right design with its tri-fold phone, yielding a ten inch tablet.

Apple is making an overpriced product no one wants…which they love to do. Like a laptop with a defective keyboard. Or a gold Apple Watch. Or Vision Pro. It seems Jony didn’t take all the idiots with him after all.
 
  • Disagree
  • Like
Reactions: Lerxt and Hkfan45
That’s probably going to be in line with the limited supply of people with intentions to buy them.
 
I don't want a Fold, but I want Apple to make one.

I want them to make Folds, Flips, Minis, Pluses, Maxes, Airs, Pros ... all of it.

We should all want the multi trillion behemoth to make options to suit our preferences.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iPAU, sos47, uacd and 3 others
joeblow7777 said:
I don't make purchasing decisions until a product actually exists, but I'll probably be passing on this one for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I purchased a 17 Pro Max this year so I definitely won't need a new phone next year. Only once have I ever upgraded a phone after just one year.
Second, as this is essentially a new product for Apple, I'm sure that the second generation model will probably be a substantial improvement. Not to say that I don't think that the 1st gen will be good, but Apple has a habit of having notable omissions on 1st gen products and then fixing it for the 2nd gen. For example, the 1st gen iPhone not having the App Store, or the 1st gen iPad Mini not having a Retina Display, or the 1st gen Macbook Air... well, just about everything about the 1st gen MBA. 😅
Click to expand...
Precisely this. Whenever I purchased a first GEN Apple product I always wound up regretting it. The first ever MacBook Pro in 2006 was hampered by DVD drive limitations which were resolved in the second one later that year. The first iPod touch lacked physical volume buttons (yuck)! And people who bought the first Retina iMac were slapping themselves when Apple introduced PC wide color gamut displays in the next version 1 year later.
Plus, I expect that the 2027 iPhone Fold will come with a reduced price. A $2000-$2500 iPhone will never reach mass market level.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike_Trivisonno and turbineseaplane
I surely Apple have solved any hinge and crease issues.

I mean wasn't this one of the main reasons why Apple's so late to the game?

They weren't happy with quality of flexible screens and what competitors were building.
 
I am "kinda" starting to believe I could see myself buying a foldable, especially after seeing the the new Samsung Tri-fold. But I do not think they need an outer screen, but I think as a replacement for the iPad mini, that you can slide in and out in your back pocket. For me trying to use an iPad mini for work is the same as having a clipboard and the haste of having to carry it around and worrying where to put it down, or where, did you put it down. Especially in a fast moving environment. Having an iPad mini fold and stick in your pocket solves that.
 
Zorn said:
First gen specifically for Apple releasing it as their own product, but pretty much 7th gen foldable screen & parts that they are sourcing from Samsung 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I'm still not paying well over $2500 after tax for a cell phone. Even if it unfolds into a mini tablet.🤷🏻‍♂️

It would be cool to see if Apple is the first to fully get rid of the crease though...
 
For people wondering what an iPhone fold will actually look like, the leaked resolution specs give us a device that’s actually a lot different than other foldable phones and nothing at all like the rendering that Macrumors is using.

When closed we will have something around the size of a U.S. passport. It will be one of the most one hand friendly iPhones in years. When opened, it will be just shy of an iPad mini (though with a higher resolution than the mini). The more iPad like aspect ratio when opened will mean this foldable will actually be a lot more usable as a tablet compared to other foldable phones that have a more square aspect ratio when unfolded.

Now of course an iPad mini may not be as useful for productivity as the other iPads (as far as an iPad can be used for productivity in the first place lol) but there’s definitely a lot of task that would be much more efficient/enjoyable on an iPad mini display compared to an iPhone pro max.

Price and durability will be the main factors Apple has to get right.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike_Trivisonno
terminator-jq said:
For people wondering what an iPhone fold will actually look like, the leaked resolution specs give us a device that’s actually a lot different than other foldable phones and nothing at all like the rendering that Macrumors is using.

When closed we will have something around the size of a U.S. passport. It will be one of the most one hand friendly iPhones in years. When opened, it will be just shy of an iPad mini (though with a higher resolution than the mini). The more iPad like aspect ratio when opened will mean this foldable will actually be a lot more usable as a tablet compared to other foldable phones that have a more square aspect ratio when unfolded.

Now of course an iPad mini may not be as useful for productivity as the other iPads (as far as an iPad can be used for productivity in the first place lol) but there’s definitely a lot of task that would be much more efficient/enjoyable on an iPad mini display compared to an iPhone pro max.

Price and durability will be the main factors Apple has to get right.
Click to expand...
You are correct. The only other foldable I've seen with similar dimension, that is available in the US anyway, was the original Pixel Fold, which I owned. It was a passport style foldable as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mike_Trivisonno
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back