Report: Apple Focusing on OLED Rather Than Foldable iPad

[scorpio vega]

My point is that folding is far from the only way Apple could and likely will employ flexible screens.

I honestly feel like the market will eventually circle back around to smaller display phones somehow. As we have seen flip phones are making their return

I think today's foldables and du al screens are GIMMICKY and trendy for the now but i dont see this being a mainstream thing for the next decade.

I will say i did some reading and there is already work on EXPANDABLE displays which i think is a far superior to the current Foldable screens we have today and definitely could be a first Apple could bring to the market to evolve the foldable market.

if they see fit.

Exactly.

Glad we are in agreement

 

[Abazigal]

What is even more perplexing is the people bragging about and demanding open everything like Android because they dont think one company like Apple should be a monopoly ( it is not) but are quite fine with Google literally being a monopoly on the internet so long as it fits their needs the way they see fit

Apple is a legitimate monopoly in that it's the only company that can legally manufacture and sell iPhones. No different from a certain company having a monopoly on Coca-cola, or Nintendo having a monopoly on the Switch (or being able to operate its own App Store and charge game developers 30%).

There is nothing wrong with someone having a monopoly on their own product, so long as they adhere to existing antitrust laws. Many people like to throw this term "monopoly" around like it's a dirty word and thus automatically "bad".

It is what it is.

 

[Makayla]

Good thing! Who wants a foldable iPad?

I do.

But oddly only for iPad. Not sure I want a foldable phone yet.

 

[splifingate]

I expect my watch will have some kind of big screen ability via hologram or something like it eventually, and that's probably where I'd want things to head. At least until I get a neural implant.

Spot-on, Bob!

 

[truthsteve]

Thickness/weight isn't really an issue anymore, I wish people would get their heads out of 2021 and look up specs, we're talking a few mm here when folded shut and maybe 10-20 grams. The crease isn't a UX issue, most don't notice it but I never go as far as to say it's not an issue for some, no argument there, but it's still not a UX issue. Watching movies with letterboxing isn't a UX issue either, you just use the maximum the screen allows, if you want to say that's an issue you can include the iPhone's island either getting in the way or forcing letterboxing as an issue as well. Managing windows across displays (hint it's one big display) is also VERY smooth on Samsung, Google has done an ok job, and from what I've read/watched OnePlus has done a pretty good job as well, I'm just going to assume you haven't used one for any length of time (or at all).

lol pixel fold? you mean the massive bezels? hard pass. not even worth considering.

one plus is still too thick and removed wireless charging possibly to make it thinner. there's the compromise.

"I don't notice the crease" - most do.

the reason why I used fold 4 as the example is because that's the one I tried. you're wrong.

 

[truthsteve]

Why? Do you think people ONLY watch 16:9 content on their phones and don't use the millions of apps on the app store, play the thousands of games which reformat their aspect ratio's just fine, read books, take pictures and video, I could keep going on and on. A large square screen is still better, in my personal opinion and use case, than a small rectangle screen any day of the week, and if it wasn't all I have to do is fold the phone and get a rectangular screen.

what? watching content with the crease is already a compromise and it sacrificed the major use case of phones just do have this sub par experience.

 

[SamRyouji]

As to point 1 sure you are not incorrect but at 200,000 folds as officially rated for the Fold 5 (I believe OnePlus rates theirs for 1 million folds), and yes they have specific hardware they use to test these. Will every single device reach these specs? Obviously not, just as every Honda will not reach 100,000 miles, but most reach this and pass it by a wide margin. 200,000 folds is about 100 folds/day for 5 years, your phone is going to be easily outdated in 5 years. With that said no one is saying the folding part is not another issue to worry about, clearly there is a trade off you make in accepting the risk, but that applies to any technology. There is plenty in a non-folding phone which can and does go wrong.

Wholly agree with you. If anyone comfortable with the tradeoff, it's their choice and I highly respect that.
Like I said before, it's just myself personally that do not want any foldable because of their flex cables. The same reason I did not buy any flip/sliding/swivel phones in the past. It will fail at certain point. Like you've said, there are lots of breaking points even in a slab phone and I'd rather not add one other point onto mine.

 

[SamRyouji]

Why would the display cable need to fold? Unlike a laptop, the folding screen is also on the same side of the hinge as the motherboard; thats what it looks like in the Samsung Fold iFixit teardown. But even if the display cable did need to fold, why wouldn’t they just use the same cable design that laptops use.

It's not a display cable. It's a flexible cable that connects part separated by the hinge. A display cable is just one example of flex cable.

 

[SamRyouji]

I can't speak to foldables, but I can attest that have the ability to run 2 apps simultaneously is so nice that I might always need such a device. I have a Surface Duo 2 and it's amazing.

My phone is still an iPhone, but around the house I prefer to carry the Duo because of the ability to use it in different "postures."

It feels more natural for reading (on) Kindle, it offers a more desktop-like experience when browsing mail, and I can flip it and have a full screen keyboard if need be. Not to mention the ability to use one display to watch something and the other display to do anything else (in landscape or portrait) is my single favorite aspect. Picture-in-picture isn't even really necessary when you have 2 screens.

This is the same biggest temptation those foldable put onto my heart every time I was playing / helping her taking a photo with my friend's Z Fold 3:
1. Having the ability to open it halfway to take a perfect flat shot on the table without any hacks to prop it
2. Using the rear cam and be able to see the preview on the UI, and
3. Multitask like my iPad mini and fold into a phone when you're done
.
But no, the tradeoffs of foldable keeps holding me back to buy one, and neither the Surface Duo (which isn't available in my country). Same reason with LG Dual Screen Cover back then. They call me Mr. Play-It-Safe, and I agree with them wholeheartedly. I don't want any additional risks that comes with flex cable hinges happen to me, apart from my laptop.

PS: From what I've been seeing across internet, it seems that the Surface Duo has very little (if almost nonexistent) issues with their flex cable on hinges compared to others. Could you confirm this for me? If this true, it might be the sign that their flex cable is as robust as modern day laptops, of which I could accept and start hunting it to import from eBay.

 

[ThaGoochiestMane]

This is the same biggest temptation those foldable put onto my heart every time I was playing / helping her taking a photo with my friend's Z Fold 3:
1. Having the ability to open it halfway to take a perfect flat shot on the table without any hacks to prop it
2. Using the rear cam and be able to see the preview on the UI, and
3. Multitask like my iPad mini and fold into a phone when you're done
.
But no, the tradeoffs of foldable keeps holding me back to buy one, and neither the Surface Duo (which isn't available in my country). Same reason with LG Dual Screen Cover back then. They call me Mr. Play-It-Safe, and I agree with them wholeheartedly. I don't want any additional risks that comes with flex cable hinges happen to me, apart from my laptop.

PS: From what I've been seeing across internet, it seems that the Surface Duo has very little (if almost nonexistent) issues with their flex cable on hinges compared to others. Could you confirm this for me? If this true, it might be the sign that their flex cable is as robust as modern day laptops, of which I could accept and start hunting it to import from eBay.

I have personally never encountered any problems with the flex cables on my Duo. Plus, the Surface devices are extremely well-engineered, and they seem to be the standard-setters when it comes to anything related to hinges (or kickstands) on devices these days.

 

[spinedoc77]

A iPad in a decent protective case can survive a lot of drops or physical abuse. I can't see a foldable design being comparable as far as ruggedness. That thought of Apple accepting something more fragile seems not their style.

Conversely a folding iPad would have the screen extremely well protected when folded which is important when traveling. You would have to have a really thick case covering the front screen to approximate this level of protection.

 

[spinedoc77]

Glasses won’t happen. Contacts are even less realistic.

I could not disagree anymore, but that's again MY personal opinion. These will never become mass market, outside of industrial uses, until they shrink down to a manageable size for every day use. Sure they can be used at home/hotel, maybe maybe an airplane, but we're not going to see people walking around with these. Contact lenses have already been invented in this regard, obviously they still need a few years to get them up to speed.

 

[spinedoc77]

Like I said: we’d expect Apple to do something different. Like a roll that flashes right out without delay.

My point is that folding is far from the only way Apple could and likely will employ flexible screens.

Absolutely agree here, there are other paradigms besides foldables and novel inventions may very well replace it.

 

[spinedoc77]

From the first day I joined Macrumours, I have noticed that Apple is constantly being graded on a curve, though to be fair, it's not a phenomenon confined solely to this forum (other placed, like Cnet, Engadget, even TheVerge tend to be overwhelmingly pessimistic about Apple's prospects). One thing that continues to puzzle me is why so many people like to claim that Apple needs to copy everything else the tech industry is doing, or it's falling behind and thus doomed?

First and foremost, Apple is just one company. I have never thought it was realistic to expect Apple to be everything to everyone, much less ape every single feature being worked on by every tech company in the industry. Smart speakers, touchscreen laptops, Netflix, chatGPT (and its growing number of clones), supposedly smart AI features that I see people crowing about in the Android phone section, even folding screens.

For an industry that was expected to put Apple in its place, that sure have been a lot of fails, flops, and disappointments over the last decade or two. But there seems to be zero awareness and self-reflection going on in this regard. Do so many people here genuinely believe that these represent (or at one point, represented) the future of technology, or they just desperately want to have something to mock and ridicule Apple over? The easiest way to argue that Apple is no longer innovating is to point to something another company is doing that Apple isn't. The implication is that Apple is lagging behind simply because they aren't hopping on every bandwagon out there.

But Apple does a lot of things differently, and if all you are doing is simply comparing Apple to everyone else and then go “Hey, Apple isn’t following what everyone else is doing, so I don’t think whatever Apple is doing is going to work”, I think they go down the wrong path. That Apple doesn't have the practice of aimlessly launches new products and features for no other reason than to say they are first is to me, is a a strength, and one of the chief reasons I use Apple products.

I would like to think that given Apple's track record at this point, more people would attempt to study, understand, describe and teach what makes Apple tick, not deny that it is happening.

Genuinely perplexing.

I think it's a convergence of Apple's power to create new paradigms like the iPhone and iPad (although it's more accurate to say they "perfect" paradigms instead of inventing them) versus Apple's ability to make money. We can see the absolute ends of these two paradigms comparing Jobs with Cook. As a shareholder I'm thrilled with Cook's performance. As a consumer I'm very disappointed with his innovation. That doesn't mean Apple isn't making money hand over fist, and of course this is only one person's opinion, but I highly miss the days of Jobs. I suppose to a large extent everything gets compared to those days when it seems like Apple changed paradigms every few years.

 

[Saturn007]

in the display is unbearable. It's always there. I can never imagine Apple accepting that level of compromise.

Yet, they did with the notch! And, the camera bump…

🙈 🔥 ❌ 😁

 

[spinedoc77]

Well the last 2 weeks i have heard quite a bit from Android fans on an apple enthusiast site. you'll forgive me for mistaking your intent.

I am as well. I also dont waste time on gimmicks and trends. Hence why i dont own a foldable. That and its OS.

That's the thing, the 3-4 years I've spent on foldables have been far from wasted, honestly the form factor has been the absolute best I've ever used in my entire lifetime bar none, and I've had cell phones since they were first released. You can say words like "gimmick" all you want, but they fall flat when consumers find actual utility in them. Yeah I get that we are 1% of the market, but that still doesn't make foldables a gimmick, just a niche product.

So let's agree to get past the "solution in search of a problem" and "gimmick" crap because it just sets me off. I'm ok with decreased durability, ugly crease, paradigm which will financially fail, etc etc. Even though I don't personally agree, I'm ok with all of that because I don't have a crystal ball, I'm just tired of people telling me my device doesn't serve an incredibly useful purpose for some consumers.

 

[spinedoc77]

lol pixel fold? you mean the massive bezels? hard pass. not even worth considering.

one plus is still too thick and removed wireless charging possibly to make it thinner. there's the compromise.

"I don't notice the crease" - most do.

the reason why I used fold 4 as the example is because that's the one I tried. you're wrong.

No disagreement on the Google Fold, it's pretty hideous BUT it's only 4mm thicker than a 15 pro max, the OnePlus Open is only about 3mm thicker, both when closed. Then we have some Chinese models like the Magic V2 which is only about 1mm thicker. Again, this is an emerging market and these are improving generation over generation. But I won't deny your point, if an extra 1-4mm is a deal breaker for you, you are completely entitled to that opinion. The crease is a very personal thing, of course I notice it but it disappears once the screen is on and I never notice it, but I've tried to always say that it's more than acceptable to not like foldables because of this. But if you look at reviews I'd say they universally say the same thing, the crease effectively disappears when the screen is on and I highly suspect those who find the crease obvious are those who haven't owned one for any length of time.

Edit: Let's also not forget about that big "island" right in your line of view on iPhones, talking about massive UX fails this has to rank right up at the top IMO.

No I'm not wrong, but neither are you, we are just going back and forth on what is basically opinion and personal preference.

 

[Beau10]

There probably isn't a viable foldable option that meets Apple's standards. I've played around with the Samsung Fold 5 and Flip, and the crease in the display is unbearable. It's always there. I can never imagine Apple accepting that level of compromise.

AFA hinge/screen, IME this one just about hits the mark for an Apple product. Haven't seen one in person but reviewers claim it handily leapfrogs everything else and is the first device to make this mostly a non-issue.

 

[scorpio vega]

That's the thing, the 3-4 years I've spent on foldables have been far from wasted, honestly the form factor has been the absolute best I've ever used in my entire lifetime bar none, and I've had cell phones since they were first released. You can say words like "gimmick" all you want, but they fall flat when consumers find actual utility in them. Yeah I get that we are 1% of the market, but that still doesn't make foldables a gimmick, just a niche product.

I am very glad that your past 3-4 years have not been wasted. There's nothing worse than wasted time, as we are only getting older by the second. I am also very glad that you are having the time of your life with your foldable.

Honestly and truly, I am.

You do realize gimmicks can be useful to some people. It doesn't mean they aren't gimmicks and it doesn't mean gimmicks are bad. Gimmicks in fact are what get people interested in niche products. Since foldables are niche device at this moment.

Your words, not mine

So let's agree to get past the "solution in search of a problem" and "gimmick" crap because it just sets me off.

| can't help that the term Gimmick sets you off. Perhaps you should figure out why you are set off by someone using the word gimmick for a niche product. It is a niche product. It is a gimmick. My toothbrush is a mechanical tooth brush that also lights. Complete gimmick.....but it amuses me so it serves its purpose.

The tv in my Fridge is also a gimmick lmao. It's a gimmick for a niche product. It's useful to me when I am standing in the kitchen and I want to watch youtube on something not my phone or PC.

It's not an offensive word by any means and foldables literally are a gimmick. It is what is. I nor anyone else can't help how you choose to take an adjective/noun to describe a product that you use.

I'm just tired of people telling me my device doesn't serve an incredibly useful purpose for some consumers.

Nobody is telling you that your device doesn't serve a purpose. I am not sure where you pulled that from. You are defending your choice of purchasing a foldable when nobody actually said anything about you choosing to purchase that.

You have been gloating about foldables superiority however, implying that anything else that is not a foldable is inferior. For you that may be true, but for the mass market, absolutely not true.

But if you look at reviews I'd say they universally say the same thing, the crease effectively disappears when the screen is on and I highly suspect those who find the crease obvious are those who haven't owned one for any length of time.

Edit: Let's also not forget about that big "island" right in your line of view on iPhones, talking about massive UX fails this has to rank right up at the top IMO.

FOldable reviews are not universally unanimously singing praises. If i actually cared, I am sure I could find reviews that back my points, but i don't care enough to do that.

Furthermore, you say the crease disappears and you try to downplay people who have differing opinions than you (Because foldables have been in your words verbatim " the 3-4 years I've spent on foldables have been far from wasted, honestly the form factor has been the absolute best I've ever used in my entire lifetime bar none")
by saying they are invalid because they "haven't owned one for any length of time"

You do realize that argument literally could be used by me by stating the Notch (which i have never had an issue with) and Dynamic Island are not things I notice or bother me in the least.

Again, i am simply using the argument you made for this discussion.

No I'm not wrong, but neither are you,

Nobody said you were wrong. You are highly defensive of your choice of a product that nobody criticized you for making. They criticized the product and rightfully so.

The product is improving with each generation.Great, I'd hope so. If it was regressing, that is problem. DOesn't change the fact that it is a gimmick that only reaches a niche market at this present time. It doesn't change the fact that it is in fact inferior to most Apple users like myself (the OS and the design).

That has nothing to do with your choice of purchase or your preference for foldables

 

[scorpio vega]

AFA hinge/screen, IME this one just about hits the mark for an Apple product. Haven't seen one in person but reviewers claim it handily leapfrogs everything else and is the first device to make this mostly a non-issue.

Onepljus phones are so ugly to me lol. Sorry I was just looking at their videos and I was like "Ehh..."

I'd never own another android again (Well shouldn't say never. I have made several stupid choices before in my life for myself lol. See my ex-fiancee) but if I did I'd definitely go Sony. Shame they and HTC are highly irrelevant in that market.

Completely irrelevant to your post, i Know. It was just in my head

 

[spinedoc77]

I am very glad that your past 3-4 years have not been wasted. There's nothing worse than wasted time, as we are only getting older by the second. I am also very glad that you are having the time of your life with your foldable.

Honestly and truly, I am.

You do realize gimmicks can be useful to some people. It doesn't mean they aren't gimmicks and it doesn't mean gimmicks are bad. Gimmicks in fact are what get people interested in niche products. Since foldables are niche device at this moment.

Your words, not mine

| can't help that the term Gimmick sets you off. Perhaps you should figure out why you are set off by someone using the word gimmick for a niche product. It is a niche product. It is a gimmick. My toothbrush is a mechanical tooth brush that also lights. Complete gimmick.....but it amuses me so it serves its purpose.

The tv in my Fridge is also a gimmick lmao. It's a gimmick for a niche product. It's useful to me when I am standing in the kitchen and I want to watch youtube on something not my phone or PC.

It's not an offensive word by any means and foldables literally are a gimmick. It is what is. I nor anyone else can't help how you choose to take an adjective/noun to describe a product that you use.

Nobody is telling you that your device doesn't serve a purpose. I am not sure where you pulled that from. You are defending your choice of purchasing a foldable when nobody actually said anything about you choosing to purchase that.

You have been gloating about foldables superiority however, implying that anything else that is not a foldable is inferior. For you that may be true, but for the mass market, absolutely not true.

FOldable reviews are not universally unanimously singing praises. If i actually cared, I am sure I could find reviews that back my points, but i don't care enough to do that.

Furthermore, you say the crease disappears and you try to downplay people who have differing opinions than you (Because foldables have been in your words verbatim " the 3-4 years I've spent on foldables have been far from wasted, honestly the form factor has been the absolute best I've ever used in my entire lifetime bar none")
by saying they are invalid because they "haven't owned one for any length of time"

You do realize that argument literally could be used by me by stating the Notch (which i have never had an issue with) and Dynamic Island are not things I notice or bother me in the least.

Again, i am simply using the argument you made for this discussion.


Nobody said you were wrong. You are highly defensive of your choice of a product that nobody criticized you for making. They criticized the product and rightfully so.

The product is improving with each generation.Great, I'd hope so. If it was regressing, that is problem. DOesn't change the fact that it is a gimmick that only reaches a niche market at this present time. It doesn't change the fact that it is in fact inferior to most Apple users like myself (the OS and the design).

That has nothing to do with your choice of purchase or your preference for foldables

1) gimmick https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gimmick
noun [ C ]
mainly disapproving

us

/ˈɡɪm.ɪk/ uk

/ˈɡɪm.ɪk/


Add to word list


something that is not serious or of real value that is used to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something:
publicity gimmick The campaign was a publicity gimmick aimed at winning back customers.
sales/marketing gimmick They give away free gifts with children's meals as a sales/marketing gimmick.

2) I'm not "gloating" over anything, you like to intersperse such words in your diatribes. My apologies if your insecurity makes you feel like I'm trying to denigrate your smartphone, I'm not, I've only tried to illustrate why foldables are useful and have use for many consumers. NONE of these paradigms are superior, rather a person's specific use case scenario and preferences define what is superior or inferior TO THEM.

3) I never said "FOldable reviews are not universally unanimously singing praises"

4) I really really tried to make it clear that the crease is a totally acceptable criticism of the foldable paradigm, I'm not sure how much more clearly I can make that. It's not an issue for myself and many reviewers, but still a valid complaint.

Anyhoo I think we are bandying back and forth about pretty much nothing so I'll step out of this conversation at this point, appreciate the discussion.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I could not disagree anymore, but that's again MY personal opinion. These will never become mass market, outside of industrial uses, until they shrink down to a manageable size for every day use. Sure they can be used at home/hotel, maybe maybe an airplane, but we're not going to see people walking around with these. Contact lenses have already been invented in this regard, obviously they still need a few years to get them up to speed.

Vision will NEVER be glasses or contacts.

 

[scorpio vega]

something that is not serious or of real value that is used to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something:
publicity gimmick The campaign was a publicity gimmick aimed at winning back customers.
sales/marketing gimmick They give away free gifts with children's meals as a sales/marketing gimmick.

And it is a gimmick to me. That is my personal opinion. Again, if that word sets you off, that sounds more like something you need to work out yourself, mate

2) I'm not "gloating" over anything, you like to intersperse such words in your diatribes. My apologies if your insecurity makes you feel like I'm trying to denigrate your smartphone, I'm not, I've only tried to illustrate why foldables are useful and have use for many consumers. NONE of these paradigms are superior, rather a person's specific use case scenario and preferences define what is superior or inferior TO THEM.

I am not insecure at all as I literally don't care lol. I have said that at least 100 times in the past week that I couldn't care less what device anyone uses and my devices are doing me well.

Foldables are useful to you and I appreciate that. They are still a gimmick/niche product. Your words not mine.

3) I never said "FOldable reviews are not universally unanimously singing praises"

okay

4) I really really tried to make it clear that the crease is a totally acceptable criticism of the foldable paradigm, I'm not sure how much more clearly I can make that. It's not an issue for myself and many reviewers, but still a valid complaint.

You did...and then you mentioned the Dynamic Island to try and bolster your point. Which is why i said you are being essentially hypocritical with that statement and also dismissive saying people didnt use it long enough.

I dont need to use something long enough to see if I don't like it right off the bat. I tried mutton the other day. Took a small bite. A nibble really. Nope, wasn't for me. I didnt need to eat a whole platter to tell i dont like it.

Anyhoo I think we are bandying back and forth about pretty much nothing so I'll step out of this conversation at this point, appreciate the discussion.

That's fine It seems the word Gimmick riled you up (your words not mine) so i can understand and see why as well.

 

[spinedoc77]

AFA hinge/screen, IME this one just about hits the mark for an Apple product. Haven't seen one in person but reviewers claim it handily leapfrogs everything else and is the first device to make this mostly a non-issue.

It's amazing just how close to "regular" smartphones foldables have become.

 

[scorpio vega]

Anyway, as i have stated, I hope apple is focusing more on redefining the smartphone and not chasing after gimmicks and trends.

There are far more useful ideas to be made and had with slab phones than Foldables for consumers.