Other So mad at Apple (Galaxy Z Fold7)

[Radon87000]

AVP was a smash hit, just not a huge seller relative to other electronic devices from Apple that don't cost north of $3k. Pet rock was a smash hit and yet...

It was not a hit. Tim was literally questioned about the low sales on the earnings call. What's worse is that even the miniscule number who bought it are not even using it.

Compare this with Samsung's first foldable which turned out to be a more mainstream product.

Also the AVP isn't really that much more expensive than a Galaxy Fold. The 1TB variant I bought is $2,500.

 

[GrassShark]

So companies making niche products in small numbers are, inherently, failures?

If they had invested billions to make those niche products and sold them in numbers unlikely to repay that investment, then yeah, I'd probably call them failures.

Context kinda matters.

 

[257Loner]

Reasons I might look forward to replacing my iPhone 13 mini:

1. A new mini phone with a 5.4-inch screen.
2. A Pro phone made of aluminum that wasn't so unnecessarily heavy.
3. A Pro phone that was "last-generation" in size, like the iPhone X's 5.8-inch screen.

I'll admit, my favorite upgrade about a phone is the new camera tech. But most phones are too big these days.

But when it comes to this thread's discussion of folding phones, my thoughts include:

1. A new phone will never make your life better.
2. $2,000 folding phones are for rich people and enthusiasts, of which I'm neither.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

moved

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It was not a hit. Tim was literally questioned about the low sales on the earnings call. What's worse is that even the miniscule number who bought it are not even using it.

Compare this with Samsung's first foldable which turned out to be a more mainstream product.

Also the AVP isn't really that much more expensive than a Galaxy Fold. The 1TB variant I bought is $2,500.

Samsung‘s first generation foldable was absolutely not a hit, it was one of their biggest public relations failures ever.
their first foldable was literally the one they had to recall, even the review units, less than a week before the phone was scheduled to launch.
and even when it did launch, it didn’t do much better.
despite the fact that it feels like that wasn’t that long ago, that was almost 7 years ago.
arguably Foldables still aren’t mass market, at least not here in the US, but the recent run of heavy press for them arguably didn’t start until two years ago with the release of the pixel fold, and by that time Samsung was five versions in.

As for the AVP, it’s basically in the same position as that original galaxy fold, except it’s not pretty much doomed to fail from taking it out of the box in the same way that fold was.
Apple, and their display partner, Sony, can literally only make 500,000 Vision Pros a year. until those numbers are in the millions, it doesn’t even have the room to be considered a success or a flop.
they made 500,000 units, sold 400,000 in the first nine months. A small number, but not really very useful.
If I can only ever make five widgets a day and I sell four within half a day but no more, is that a failure? Not really, I sold 80% of my inventory, and in the case of the VP, at a massive markup. Either way it technically made a profit.
much like how people in 2019 had no idea where foldable would be in 2025, get back to me on the VP in 2030. By then the tech may have evolved just like folding tech has.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I’m trying to imagine such a thing

Do you have a real world example?

IDK. Mass spectrometers?

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Samsung‘s first generation foldable was absolutely not a hit, it was one of their biggest public relations failures ever.
their first foldable was literally the one they had to recall, even the review units, less than a week before the phone was scheduled to launch.
and even when it did launch, it didn’t do much better.
despite the fact that it feels like that wasn’t that long ago, that was almost 7 years ago.
arguably Foldables still aren’t mass market, at least not here in the US, but the recent run of heavy press for them arguably didn’t start until two years ago with the release of the pixel fold, and by that time Samsung was five versions in.

As for the AVP, it’s basically in the same position as that original galaxy fold, except it’s not pretty much doomed to fail from taking it out of the box in the same way that fold was.
Apple, and their display partner, Sony, can literally only make 500,000 Vision Pros a year. until those numbers are in the millions, it doesn’t even have the room to be considered a success or a flop.
they made 500,000 units, sold 400,000 in the first nine months. A small number, but not really very useful.
If I can only ever make five widgets a day and I sell four within half a day but no more, is that a failure? Not really, I sold 80% of my inventory, and in the case of the VP, at a massive markup. Either way it technically made a profit.
much like how people in 2019 had no idea where foldable would be in 2025, get back to me on the VP in 2030. By then the tech may have evolved just like folding tech has.

The AVP hardware tech is superb right now. The software just needs to continue to evolve.

 

[Username-already-in-use]

I haven't been to MacRumors in awhile, so I went and looked and they peg an Apple foldable phone for fall of NEXT YEAR.

What in the world is going on at Apple? They have all the cash in the world, all the top people, and they just can't do this stuff?

The answer is the crease and battery.

For example, if Apple had released an iPhone with the similar trade-offs as other foldables, there would be a 120 page meltdown on MacRumors about how Apple shipped a defective iPhone with a terrible battery and a wonky screen.

 

[Trixs]

Make sure to let Tim Apple know how mad you are

 

[LouisMac90]

I've seen foldable phones and they just seemed like a gimmick. Last night I had dinner with a friend who had the new Galaxy Z Fold 7.

I own every product in the Apple store and this was the first thing I've seen that made me want to ditch my iPhone. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. Folded it was thinner than my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Videos on the open screen were breathtaking, and there was no hint of a seam down the middle. And this this is so thin when opened you just can't believe it.

I haven't been to MacRumors in awhile, so I went and looked and they peg an Apple foldable phone for fall of NEXT YEAR.

What in the world is going on at Apple? They have all the cash in the world, all the top people, and they just can't do this stuff?

Honestly, this phone made my iPhone look like a Gen 1 product. If you haven't held one, you will first be amazed at the phone itself, but as that wears off you will just get madder and madder thinking about how Apple missed this. It's like the company has been asleep for five plus years.

Honestly don't do it, if you have every product in the Apple Ecosystem just wait for iPhone's upcoming foldable and then you will still have the familiar ecosystem with the added bonus of the fold design. I tried moving from Apple to Samsung back when the S23 Ultra released I literally lasted a month. Apple may sometimes be behind but they always make sure the specs work smoothly with the operating system.

 

[Wanted797]

I've seen foldable phones and they just seemed like a gimmick. Last night I had dinner with a friend who had the new Galaxy Z Fold 7.

I own every product in the Apple store and this was the first thing I've seen that made me want to ditch my iPhone. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. Folded it was thinner than my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Videos on the open screen were breathtaking, and there was no hint of a seam down the middle. And this this is so thin when opened you just can't believe it.

I haven't been to MacRumors in awhile, so I went and looked and they peg an Apple foldable phone for fall of NEXT YEAR.

What in the world is going on at Apple? They have all the cash in the world, all the top people, and they just can't do this stuff?

Honestly, this phone made my iPhone look like a Gen 1 product. If you haven't held one, you will first be amazed at the phone itself, but as that wears off you will just get madder and madder thinking about how Apple missed this. It's like the company has been asleep for five plus years.

Not sure why you’re mad. Apple has rarely been first.

Actually they’re always late to the game. But when they do create something. It’s amazing (usually).

I actually had a thought the other day that they’re working on engineering a hinge so a foldable can have 2 normal glass displays but when folded out they line up seamlessly.

 

[TheSynchronizer]

Folda-bleh 🤣

If I want a bigger screen, I use my iPad.

When I want a phone sized device, I use my phone.

Why would I ever want a foldable that is already many times less durable than the fragile iPhones are.. all at a price tag that is likely twice as much as a regular phone… all while not being anywhere near as good as my iPad even when unfolded.

For a smaller price than this one foldableh, you can easily get an iPad and an iPhone, and have an actual good setup, rather than a “hybrid” attempt.

Different strokes for different folks. Whether Apple decides to go into foldable or not, IDGAF.

 

[teh_hunterer]

I haven't been to MacRumors in awhile, so I went and looked and they peg an Apple foldable phone for fall of NEXT YEAR.

What in the world is going on at Apple?

I don't think it's right to be mad about this. Samsung has iterated on this for years, and this one that's just come out is the first one that I would consider to be a truly finished product that's ready for the mainstream Apple customer. That's 5+ years of products that aren't refined enough to be the next iPhone.

Apple just wasn't going to release a foldable until the technology got at least to where it has just now. Certainly not for the $2000+ that they would have had to release it at. It wouldn't have worked as an Apple product, nor justified the price tag.

Samsung is a company that will take risks, throw things at the wall and see what sticks. That's their identity, a bunch of their customers are happy to buy something that is flawed but bleeding edge because they'll make that tradeoff to be an early adopter. That's just not Apple's thing and wouldn't have gone down well with their customers.

 

[jclardy]

I've played around with vertical foldables and they are very cool, but the crease is still an issue (Not sure how prevalent it is on the Fold 7, and it probably is less of an issue on horizontal foldables since you don't feel it while swiping up/down.) The other issue I had is that I was constantly considering whether I should open it or not. IE I get a message, and reply on the outer display, then it becomes a conversation and there is this feeling of not wanting to fully commit to opening the device, but also feeling limited by not opening it. This is probably again another issue with a vertical foldable vs horizontal - with the vertical you still have a "full" phone with the device closed and are instead choosing whether to go into full tablet mode.

I would assume an iOS foldable would run "iPadOS" when opened, but I feel they really nerfed the basic iPad modes in iPadOS 26 by removing split view and slideover, which would be the most useful way to run the opened iPhone foldable. Maybe they will bring them back before release.

 

[I7guy]

It was not a hit. Tim was literally questioned about the low sales on the earnings call. What's worse is that even the miniscule number who bought it are not even using it.

It was a hit as it got all sorts of accolades. Hence the pet rock reference.

Compare this with Samsung's first foldable which turned out to be a more mainstream product.

Also the AVP isn't really that much more expensive than a Galaxy Fold. The 1TB variant I bought is $2,500.

And the galaxy fold isn’t flying off shelves either. Certainly not in pet rock territory.

 

[AppleZombie]

The Flip 7 is where it's at. Everyone saying foldable are a "Gimmick", well the compact size that opens to the size of an iPhone Pro Max is no gimmick to me.

I would switch, but every time I try to go to Scamsung, I am reminded why iOs is superior at startup. No joke, the three times I tried to switch Scamsung's have over heated or have just slowed down to the point of frustration.

 

[Nikhil72]

Meanwhile the fold 7, which is excellent engineering, has subpar battery based on standardized battery testing, a camera that at best is on par with a one year old phone that’s about to be lapped. Engineering marvel focus is great but consumers as a whole care about great cameras, reliability, and battery life. Tablets sell well at large screen sizes so I don’t think a foldable will scratch that itch for those who like tablets. And instead of two devices with separate batteries i have to sacrifice runtime by getting a compromised two in one?

 

[Radon87000]

It was a hit as it got all sorts of accolades. Hence the pet rock reference.

And the galaxy fold isn’t flying off shelves either. Certainly not in pet rock territory.

Have you been following the news? Tim was grilled about the low sales of the AVP.

The Z Fold 7 has been setting pre-order records in top markets.

 

[nathansz]

IDK. Mass spectrometers?

that's not really a consumer product

 

[scott craft]

As a Samsung foldable user I'm looking forward to Apple releasing a folding phone. The competition will be great for us consumers. I don't know that I would consider going back to an iPhone, even a foldable, but my family might. I think it's going to be a big hit.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I’m trying to imagine such a thing

Do you have a real world example?

I don’t know, it was a hypothetical.

How about Porsche? They sell around 300,000 cars a year. Toyota, in comparison, sells over 1 million Corollas a year, plus all their other cars.

 

[nathansz]

I don’t know, it was a hypothetical.

How about Porsche? They sell around 300,000 cars a year. Toyota, in comparison, sells over 1 million Corollas a year, plus all their other cars.

yeah I was thinking porche or some other niche auto maker

 

[whitby]

I currently have an iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung S25 Ultra and have owned an example of an iPhone for each year since the first one. I decided to try an Android based phone some years ago as a second phone and to experience the alternative world of smart phones. I have been really impressed with the way that both worlds have developed over time. As part of this I have had the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and 6 before moving back to a conventional styled 'slab' phones in the Android world.

The Fold 4 and 6 were interesting phones but way too bulky, heavy and it was difficult to access that large screen. Opening them required you to almost 'wrestle' them open. On top of this, the external screens were difficult to use due to their aspect ratio (tall and narrow) making them generally inconvenient to use. So they were swapped out for the Ultra S series at the time. This new Fold looks to address most of the issues I had with older versions: They are much thinner, almost like a 'slab' style phone when closed and the outer screen is much more usable with a decent aspect ratio. Which makes them much more usable and able to replace a conventional style phone.

Now you have to address the real issue. Do you really want/need a folding phone with a large screen and do you really want to pay this amount of money for what amounts to a combined phone and small tablet? I can buy an 11" iPad Air and iPhone 16 Pro or 16 Plus for a lot less money and nearly achieve the same objectives. I was very nearly tempted to trade in my S25 Ultra for this phone (Samsung are very generous on their trade ins, unlike Apple) but then realized it had become too expensive to consider for the intended use, so I am staying with my S25 Ultra. And when Apple come out with a folding phone, I have no doubt it will cost a fortune and for the same reason I will not be buying that either. As I keep saying to myself and anyone else that will listen, portable phones need to be light, have infinite battery life and be indestructible (not self destruct when you drop them) and we are getting way too far away from that objective for me.

 

[Jackkmann]

I'm 100% Apple and have been since the Macintosh SE20

Jeez Old head

 

[Radon87000]

Meanwhile the fold 7, which is excellent engineering, has subpar battery based on standardized battery testing, a camera that at best is on par with a one year old phone that’s about to be lapped. Engineering marvel focus is great but consumers as a whole care about great cameras, reliability, and battery life. Tablets sell well at large screen sizes so I don’t think a foldable will scratch that itch for those who like tablets. And instead of two devices with separate batteries i have to sacrifice runtime by getting a compromised two in one?

Look at the Chinese foldables. They don't compromise on battery but have a similar physical footprint.