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WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

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Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#161

Post by Eric_WVGG »

game_the0ry wrote: post #40

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 t…

My two favorite Apple products are the iPhone Mini and the iPad Mini. This foldable iPhone looks like it might give me both?

Personally, I think it's nice that companies make products that appeal to different kinds of people.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#162

Post by swiftcoder »

sixothree wrote: post #154
swiftcoder wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But carrying an ipad mini and a phone is not that big a deal I did this way back when the first iPad mini was released, and it's not bad. But these days, the big iPhone is 7 inches to the iPad mini's 8 inches... the phone is big enough for most iPad mini use cases

The thing I like about the iPad Mini is that it's an optional carry. I don't need an 8" device every time I leave the house. And maybe that's going to be the appeal of the foldable.

Yeah, I got used to the big phone, and it's nice to have the big screen around when you are stuck at the bus stop watching YouTube. But I know its an awkward carry for lot of people.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#163

Post by dpark »

elxr wrote: post #135
jayd16 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The new Samsung fold 7s while folded are less than a mm thicker than an iPhone 17.

And it feels like a regular phone when folded. Not noticeably thick at all. Some folks just have to complain for the sake of complaining, must give them a little dopamine hit or something.

Or maybe they haven’t held the very latest. The 6 was notably thicker.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#165

Post by bluescrn »

cavemandaveman wrote: post #88
bluescrn wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The purpose of a foldable is to reduce the lifespan of a device, and therefore sell more devices

Apple's MO has never been to make junk that breaks. They're as valuable as they are largely because of their reputation for high quality products.

But they still make repairs very difficult in case of accidental damage, random failure, or inevitably battery wear.

Glued batteries, soldered storage, keyboards and screens that absolutely aren't designed to be swapped out in the event of damage. There's still an element of planned obsolescence even if reliability/quality generally seems better than the competition.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#166

Post by swiftcoder »

rtkwe wrote: post #158
game_the0ry wrote: post #40

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 t…

The issue with repairability is always the conflict between water resistance, thickness and feel vs the compromises to that needed to make removable batteries or back cases work. There are ways around it but the vast majority of the market prefers solid near glued together phones so that's what companies make. > I get the impression they're running out of ideas with the "slate" form factor and are trying to stimulate…

> the compromises to that needed to make removable batteries or back cases work

Seems like they are going to have to make that compromise, at least in the EU market. User-replaceable batteries from 2027 onwards, unless they are willing to quit the market (probably still requiring screwdrivers, but hey, its something)

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#167

Post by dpark »

Delphiki wrote: post #153
embedding-shape wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple's MO has never been to make junk that breaks. Have you never used their cables? I don't think I've seen a single Apple cable lasting more than a few years if they're being used daily, the only ones that last are the ones that are kept static for the entire time. Their computing hardware is great otherwise, no disagreement there. But their cables are the polar-opposite of whatever engineering methodologies the…

Anecdotal, but for what it's worth, only two of my Apple charging cables have broken since 2007. I always hear about people having issues with them, so maybe I've been lucky with all of mine, or maybe I just don't treat them like I expect them to be indestructible.

People beat the hell out of cables. People yank on cables to unplug instead of the connectors, wad them up in the bottom of a bag and drop books on them, etc.

I don’t think I’ve ever had an Apple cable fail, all the way back to the 30 pin.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#168

Post by azan_ »

markstos wrote: post #57

"Please do a bunch of work to support a folding phone model only a few people will be able to afford"

I'm 100% certain it will sell out at the release and you will have to wait few months to get it. I don't know where people get the idea that only few people will be able to afford that phone.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#169

Post by markstos »

azan_ wrote: post #168
markstos wrote: post #57

"Please do a bunch of work to support a folding phone model only a few people will be able to afford"

I'm 100% certain it will sell out at the release and you will have to wait few months to get it. I don't know where people get the idea that only few people will be able to afford that phone.

The idea that most people can’t afford a $2,000 phone?

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#170

Post by rtkwe »

swiftcoder wrote: post #166
rtkwe wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with repairability is always the conflict between water resistance, thickness and feel vs the compromises to that needed to make removable batteries or back cases work. There are ways around it but the vast majority of the market prefers solid near glued together phones so that's what companies make. > I get the impression they're running out of ideas with the "slate" form factor and are trying to stimulate…

> the compromises to that needed to make removable batteries or back cases work Seems like they are going to have to make that compromise, at least in the EU market. User-replaceable batteries from 2027 onwards, unless they are willing to quit the market (probably still requiring screwdrivers, but hey, its something)

Unlikely because the law includes this out for manufacturers, manufacturers are exempt from the user-replacement rule if their devices are waterproof (IP67 or higher) and utilize ultra-durable batteries that retain 83% capacity after 500 cycles and 80% capacity after 1,000 charge cycles. That's skipped over in a lot of the headlines about the law.

A lot of phones these days are at least IP67 if not better. My Pixel 8 is IP68 so it comes down to the battery capacity retention and how well they can game that measurement (slower charging etc for the measurement) but most phones are pretty good at that afaik.

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