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Comments (188)

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  game_the0ry
  Not a fan of foldables, if I am honest. Just a personal opinion. I do not like the it feels in the pocket bc the device needs to double its thickness when folding over.When a mobile device manufacturer (samsung, hauwei, now apple) makes a foldable, I get the impression they're running out of ideas with the "slate" form factor and are trying to stimulate sales.Personally, I would want that R&D spend and innovation to go to more sustainable materials, longer lasting devices, and easily repairable parts to extend the devices useful life.
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  Aperocky
  I think discussion here are missing that most people do not own a PC/laptop and if they do barely ever opens one, and not because they can't afford it, but it just didn't fit into their daily lives. This is obviously entirely different from the HN crowd.And in that case, a folding phone is huge! Having played with one that my parent use, it's such an upgrade for reading/scrolling experience. When we all are spending so much time on the phone (that's a separate discussion, but it is the reality).
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  kn100
  I've been dailying a pixel fold 9 pro for a while now and love the thing. Seeing Apple finally join in is exciting as heck. I wouldn't hold your breath for a non visible crease though, nor for it to necessarily be class leading in its screen tech. I doubt any of it matters though, the Pixel Folds aren't exactly class leading in these regards either and the fold is just not a concern at all once you're using it. it's practically invisible from head on, and the "plastic screen protector" worries are really not an issue either. The durability of the inner screen is actually much better than you'd expect since it spends most of its pocketed life protected from external scratches. Mines still in great shape, even though I do not use a case nor any other form of protector.Where apple has a significant opportunity here is the software side though. Google unfortunately doesn't seem to be too interested in exploring UI concepts with the Fold, leaving that to OnePlus and Samsung, both of which have imo better multitasking experiences than the Pixel Fold. Apple making an iPhone that becomes an iPad would probably be enough for them to win significant marketshare, but I hope they use this opportunity to do some interesting things with UI beyond what the iPad can do.
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  rjh29
  I've gone all the way around and came back. The Samsung Fold was awesome and convenient. But carrying an ipad mini and a phone is not that big a deal. It's quite nice that the ipad mini does not have whatsapp or SMS plugged into it, so I can use it exclusively for reading books or playing music.The cost of the iPad Mini + my phone was like $600 and the folds - even the 6th gen and above - are super unreliable, so right now that seems like the best play.
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  JKCalhoun
  I instead see these sort of things (add the AppleVision Pro as well) as Apple feeling obliged to respond to "the public" (shareholders?)."Samsung has this cool foldable phone—they seem to be taking the design mantle away from Apple these days.""I hear this VR thing is the future of computing. Why isn't Apple in this space?"I suspect even in the Jobs-era you might point to the iPad as Apple being pressured into responding with a product in the tablet space.The Apple Watch a reaction to the Pebble?
• CamelCaseName
  How timely, I'm writing this from a Pixel 10 Pro Fold I bought in January.Last night I opened it to find the inside screen having dead pixels in the center by the bend.I love foldable phones. I use it all the time in both modes, but now I'm currently procrastinating looking up my best buy warranty plan specifics.For a small percentage of mobile superusers, I really do believe foldables are the future. Having the ability to use desktop mode by default, or multitask, is huge.
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  mohsen1
  A foldable iPhone will definitely solve one of the biggest problems at Apple. Foldable phones won't last 5-10 years. I can see Apple making all iPhone offerings foldable down the road
• asah
  Foldables are life changing - everyone I know who's got one, doesn't go back.It's all the benefits of a tablet with the weight/thickness of a cell.Example: maps shows both the map and listing detail.Example: messaging/email apps show the message/channel list and the current messageExample: virtual keyboard has plenty of space for punctuation, emojis, etc.Example: games and multimedia are perfectly pleasant to view, even for hours.Example: I used the remote-control app to take photos from my Sony and Fuji cameras, and the live preview was large enough to easily check for tack-sharpness, which is hard even in the camera viewfinder.
• 12_throw_away
  > stop thinking about creating software for a specific piece of hardware. Design software to be adaptable across a range of screen sizes and aspect ratiosThis is right, of course, and pretty obvious I think. But a part of me also thinks that we're still not good at it (or are not good at it anymore). At the very least, the tradeoff is a huge increase in UI complexity. It was so, so easy to design UIs with Hypercard when you knew it was going to run on a 512×342 display.
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  stevenhubertron
  For me at least the screen size isn’t the limiting factor the lack of a keyboard is. I don’t know why I’d choose this device over a Neo or Air + non-folding phone.
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  tom1337
  I don't think I get foldable phones. When is the extra space necessary? I mean most of them turn from a somewhat 9:16 aspect ratio to 1:1. You don't earn anything in space to consume media content. The only real improvement might be for multitasking?
• butz
  How about phones that you can attach one to another and have as much of a phone as you want? Buy two phones - simple foldable. 4? That's almost a tablet worth of screen estate. Want more? Only your budget is the limit. Go as far as 85" TV if you want.
• internet2000
  I love the little showmanship touches Apple does like this. Seeing a trillion dollar company going "wink wink nudge nudge" is just funny.
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  ARandomerDude
  > Starting price reportedly around $2,000.I'll guess it won't be a Vision Pro level disaster, but most people will skip this device unless the price drops substantially.
• nerdjon
  I am not fully convinced that a foldable is really going to be something that most will want, but I think it could find its niche. Given that from another article it seems that in the simulator it is using the iPad view it could be useful for some people.Though, I have yet to find myself in a situation that I wanted to use an iPad and I was not already in a position to be carrying one. I use mine for work and I am already carrying a laptop, throwing in an iPad is a very small addition to my bag.Any time I have just been out, was never a situation I felt like I needed something like an iPad. Throw in that this looks like it will be the size of a Mini vs the 13" pro that I use now, it puts it in an awkward position. And I could justify the rumored $2k cost to replace 2 devices that cost more than that combined.It will be interesting to see how it does in practice, but also what it does to the separation of iOS and iPadOS.
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  w10-1
  Everyone I know over 70 would love something that works like a phone when folded but like a tablet unfolded -- big enough for text to be big, small enough to carry, and without fiddly interface -- and at a reasonable price for those anchored in 1980 prices.(If those under 17 got attached to foldables, it would be an enduring franchise.)For those of us in between, I'd love it if my foldable when unfolded were finally the OS of choice - iPadOS or iOS or even macOS. It would be the hub for hub-and-spoke devices...It's an impossible ask, but perhaps....
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  HumblyTossed
  I wonder how they'll address the crease.My guess is one of two ways. Not address it at all. Or tell you that you don't see what you really see.
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  ale
  Besides the new form factor, resizable apps are also meant to further bridge the gap between macOS and iOS right?
• anon
  undefined
• Ile09
  The software opportunity is what's interesting. Apple making an iPhone that becomes an iPad could finally make multitasking on mobile actually work. Hardware is table stakes, the UI decisions are what will matter.
• pnw
  Really intrigued to see what Apple's design chops brings to this form factor. I'd love more screen real estate so I can travel without a damn laptop. The big question is how thick will it be?
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  phreack
  Seeing this literally after my foldable full on broke through the axle after not even half a year makes me concerned for Apple
• nilslindemann
  WWDC = Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.
• harshit119
  This will be really cool. iPhone really need change. All versions have same form factor for so long now
• jitl
  i’ve been waiting a few years for iphone fold, im excited that they’re releasing it this year.its both iphone mini (yay!! mini iphone again) and ipad mini (yay!! hueg screen for bedtime youtube) in one device presumably with a cpu powerful enough to run cyberpunk 2077. what a world :)
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  didip
  I don’t quite understand this new product strategy.I usually am a pro Apple consumer but how many high end users actually want this form factor?
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  baal80spam
  Holy mother of clickbait titles.
• rasz
  foldable screen = new recurring revenue stream
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  drcongo
  I can't imagine they'd release a crappy folding thing like the Samsung, I think it's more likely to be effectively dual-screen that can be unfurled into something where the two screens are side by side.
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  markstos
  "Please do a bunch of work to support a folding phone model only a few people will be able to afford"
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  realusername
  Is that blurry mess on the video seriously how resizing works on iOS or is it just a POC made by some dev?
• echelon
  > This is the PSOTU’s message, which states clearly and plainly: stop thinking about creating software for a specific piece of hardware. Design software to be adaptable across a range of screen sizes and aspect ratios.I remember so many Apple developers saying this was why Apple was better than Android. The HN archives are full of such comments.Not that I care for either company, as they both lord over our lives and limit our freedoms.
• ChrisArchitect
  Can we update the title for a bit more clarity?Maybe likeWWDC 2026: Platform sample app hints at future foldable
• wseadowntown
  [dead]
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  nsbk
  Peak Apple "innovation" incoming!