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Foldables are not the future of the smartphone, but its an important niche, just like every category Apple got into with the iPad and iPhone. The company realized some people just want big phones hence the iPhone 6. I also think its a similar case for the iPhone Mini. I think relative to the industry, the Mini is likely a success, but based on Apples standards, they don't see it that way. But, I am not surprised if Apple externally is testing this, its just logical for them to do so. Exacting standards which is the display technology is just not where they want it to be.

If corporations figure out a way to pull it off, it is likely it will become the present of cell phones.
 
For those who are not glued to their smartphones, it's fine. But imo that's a minority. Most people are glued to their smartphone and the unfolding action will get old fast. That is with the flip concept though. The Galaxy Fold concept makes more sense, as the phone is already usable as a smartphone without having to unfold.
You can do notifications and phone usage while folded on the flip too.

As for those not glued to their phones being a minority, I don't think so....

I'd never get the fold, it's too big -- which is exactly why I got a Flip, but to each their own, at least we have somewhat of a choice and I expect that choice to be even more available in the future. One size does not fit all.
 
They looked at me and my Note 3 the same way and said they would never buy a phone that big - we all know what happened later…


I was also one of the first to wear a Sony Sports FM Walkman with the in ear wired earphones in the 1980s. People laughed when they saw me with two wires going into each ear. We all know what happened after that…



I just realized - that was 40 years ago! Man am I old…

You are old now and they still laughing :))))
 
No wonder Apple hasn’t jumped onboard. Tech isn’t there yet. Samsung may be pushing it hard, but I have yet to see one of them in the wild. The videos I have seen online don’t instill me with confidence tho. The crease that inevitably develops is more annoying than any notch or aesthetic issue Apple ever gets slammed for. If they ever do it, I am sure they’ll do it right. I just don’t think they will tho until the technology catches up.
 
In fairness to Samsung, I'd believe that the total amount of foldable smartphones shipped is about 10 million in 2021.

...But wasn't there 1.35 billion smartphones shipped in 2021, aka 1,350 million?
There are certainly a lot of smartphones, but how many of those are considered premium smartphones? The Fold starts at $1800, which puts it outside the range of most consumers. Pricing is the biggest problem with the Fold (excluding the Flip).
 
Once Apple enters the game we’ll see everyone else joining.
They are already playing: Samsung was on 87.8 percent of all foldable phones shipped in 2021, while Huawei only accounted for 9.3 percent of shipments, with Xiaomi, Royole, and Oppo taking even tinier shares.

But Apple entering the foldable market means these players will need to ramp up even more.
 
No wonder Apple hasn’t jumped onboard. Tech isn’t there yet. Samsung may be pushing it hard, but I have yet to see one of them in the wild. The videos I have seen online don’t instill me with confidence tho. The crease that inevitably develops is more annoying than any notch or aesthetic issue Apple ever gets slammed for. If they ever do it, I am sure they’ll do it right. I just don’t think they will tho until the technology catches up.
Apple doesn't want to build a foldable iPhone cause they'll cannibalize iPad sales.
 
I love my Flip Z 3, the only reason it isn’t my daily driver is because it doesn’t have iOS on it. I can deal with the camera compromise, the crease is not noticeable after a while, its the battery life that is my biggest issue.
 
Apple will enter the foldable market when Samsung produces and sells them the screens that they need to make a good foldable phone.
I personally don't think Apple will release a folding phone. The use case simply isn't there. If you want a bigger screen, that's what AR glasses is for.

This doesn't mean there isn't a market for flexible displays, but I feel they make more sense in products with non-flat surfaces like AR glasses, but still with no folding involved (because that's still a major point of failure).

My money is still on people trying to make this product category sound like a bigger deal than it really is, simply because it's a market Apple hasn't entered (yet).
 
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I personally don't think Apple will release a folding phone. The use case simply isn't there. If you want a bigger screen, that's what AR glasses is for.

This doesn't mean there isn't a market for flexible displays, but I feel they make more sense in products with non-flat surfaces like AR glasses, but still with no folding involved (because that's still a major point of failure).

My money is still on people trying to make this product category sound like a bigger deal than it really is, simply because it's a market Apple hasn't entered (yet).
That's another reason Apple won't make it because it will cannibalize their future AR glasses
 
That's another reason Apple won't make it because it will cannibalize their future AR glasses
Hardly. Smartphones are not going anywhere, and even the screen size of the largest iPad is dwarfed by the immense field of view a pair of glasses can provide (which is basically as wide as you can see).

My take is that smart glasses will excel at tasks that involve mainly consuming lots of information passively with minimal interaction required by the user (which is why I argue that smartphones will still be around). I just don't think that folding phones make for a great user experience. You have to unfold them to get the larger screen estate, and then fold them again when it's time to put it away. Multiply this by the hundreds of times you take your phone in and out of your pocket, and I imagine it would get pretty annoying pretty fast.

It's just poor design.
 
I personally don't think Apple will release a folding phone. The use case simply isn't there. If you want a bigger screen, that's what AR glasses is for.

This doesn't mean there isn't a market for flexible displays, but I feel they make more sense in products with non-flat surfaces like AR glasses, but still with no folding involved (because that's still a major point of failure).

My money is still on people trying to make this product category sound like a bigger deal than it really is, simply because it's a market Apple hasn't entered (yet).
I think you may be right, I hadn't really considered AR, having read about it just now, what you say makes sense, late 2024 (when it is rumoured that Apple will introduce AR glasses) is just too close for Apple to introduce a foldable phone as a "stop gap." It depends on how far Apple wish to push the AR technology on release of course.
 
Apple… Take. Your. Time.

If they do debut a foldable, you can count on two things:
1. That will mark the moment foldables go mainstream.
2. There willl be no crease.
Gosh…I really hope that Apple makes one with no crease…that is seriously the most annoying thing on these things right now.
 
a 300% increase without apple is samsung bringing it mainstream already... if they continue that pace its a staggering number after just 1-2 years.
🤣

When you sell one of something last year and then you manage to sell two of them this year, you've just increased your sales by 100%.

What I am suggesting is that 300% only matters with regards to the size of the market.

If one studies the diffusion of innovation (e.g. Geoffrey Moore's work), there is always a small class of users who are willing to adopt new products that the mass market is not interested in. These are the early adopters, and while they are nice to have, they are no guarantee of future success.

The real question is always understanding which innovations are able to cross the chasm into the mass market.

The way it looks right now, foldable phones are no sure bet to ever become a mass market product and 300% grow rates historically does not prove it will.
 
Fold users be like ‘This is very useful. Not bulky at all. I can fit it in my pocket just fine.’

1658749508437.jpeg
 
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