WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding • Hacker News Board

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#171

Post by azan_ » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:08 PM UTC

hatsix wrote: post #23

abirch wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple hasn't "invented" most things, from the personal computer, MP3 Player, or smart phone. They tend to revolutionize the things by making them work extremely well.

if by 'revolutionize', you mean 'let everybody else spend time, effort and money developing the idea, and once they've proven the market they buy an interesting company in the space with tons of patents, shut down everything they'd done before and make their interesting and take credit for the revolution, meanwhile, their new presence in the area mutes actual innovation, because they use all of the oxygen in the room…

> Apple is great at winning capitalism.

Exactly, they deliver products that are better than their competition and thanks to that they got extremely rich. It's a great example of capitalism working as intended.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#172

Post by elxr » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC

dpark wrote: post #163

elxr wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Even if you haven't, searching up dimensions on the current foldables takes all of 15 seconds.

It should be obvious to anyone who cares about phone hardware even a little that older foldables won't be the end-all of how thin the packaging is ever going to get.

The assumption that even future foldables will feel like holding two typical 7-8mm phones together is just an obivous case of no research and stereotypical hn complaining.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#173

Post by musictubes » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC

crimsontech wrote: post #132

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…

This is a pet hate of mine. My whole family has iPhones but only my wife and daughters cables break because they use the phones while they are plugged in. The cable gets bent sharply where it joins the connector causing it to break. I'm not sure if the newer braided cables are better or not as they don't have them. I have never needed to replace mine as when the phone is plugged in and charging I don't use it.

That makes sense. I have always wondered how people manage to break their cables. I’ve also never had a problem with them over 16 years.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#174

Post by dualvariable » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

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 vast majority of the market prefers solid near glued together phones so that's what companies make.

the vast majority of companies only make solid near-glued together phones, so that is all anyone buys.

if apple made a phone with replaceable batteries with a bit more thickness and some compromises on water resistance vs. cost, you'd actually see the consumer preferences play out.

> The folds do add functionality and I think there's an impulse that leads people to say they don't see the point of something just because they're not interested in it personally.

you're going to have to go through some real mental contortions to support foldable phones as consumer choice while treating repairability/replaceability as inherently not worth it because you like slim designs.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#175

Post by elxr » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:19 PM UTC

robot_jesus wrote: post #62

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…

You and me both, but I also recognize others disagree so ultimately, we'll see what the market decides. Apple's annual gross profit was $195B last year against an R&D budget of around $35B. So, they've got more than enough spare change to throw around. I'm sure whatever they're spending on foldables isn't impairing them financially in any way. I'm more concerned for what it means for focus, fragmented ecosystems, use…

> we'll see what the market decides

The market && apple's choice of either pricing it aggressively or pricing it so that nobody can afford it. Both have equal weighting here.

The Z fold has succeeded enough that I see it out and about even outside tech-circles. Oppo and Google have had multiple generations of well-recieved folables too, despite not nearly having the marketing machine of someone like Apple.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#176

Post by dpark » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:25 PM UTC

elxr wrote: post #172

dpark wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Even if you haven't, searching up dimensions on the current foldables takes all of 15 seconds. It should be obvious to anyone who cares about phone hardware even a little that older foldables won't be the end-all of how thin the packaging is ever going to get. The assumption that even future foldables will feel like holding two typical 7-8mm phones together is just an obivous case of no research and stereotypical hn…

I don’t know why you’re so uncharitable toward someone who holds a different opinion than you. The idea that someone needs to research device dimensions in order to share their personal experience with foldables is a bit much. Instead of accusing them of complaining for the “dopamine hit”, you could have said “hey, your experience is out of date”.

That’s what jayd16 did, and then you rolled in with a complaint about people who complain, which is pretty rich.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#177

Post by kmfrk » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:40 PM UTC

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…

A lot of the iPhone design decisions have generally had the nature of something I didn't like that some market research must have shown to be in demand. And so the iPhones have kept getting bigger, even though I've held on to my 4, 5S, and SE's for dear life.

People seem to want them, so Apple end up selling them. We're probably in the minority, and I can't fault Apple for not turning down the money.

Although I do wonder how the hell cases and screen protectors work for foldables.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#178

Post by swiftcoder » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:40 PM UTC

rtkwe wrote: post #170

swiftcoder wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

> but most phones are pretty good at that afaik

I clearly haven't had good luck on this front. My iPhone is showing a battery health of "service", and a maximum capacity of 77%, after just 357 cycles.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#179

Post by azan_ » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:41 PM UTC

markstos wrote: post #169

azan_ wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

The idea that few people can.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#180

Post by elxr » Tue, Jun 09, 2026, 5:43 PM UTC

dpark wrote: post #176

elxr wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you haven't, searching up dimensions on the current foldables takes all of 15 seconds. It should be obvious to anyone who cares about phone hardware even a little that older foldables won't be the end-all of how thin the packaging is ever going to get. The assumption that even future foldables will feel like holding two typical 7-8mm phones together is just an obivous case of no research and stereotypical hn…

I don’t know why you’re so uncharitable toward someone who holds a different opinion than you. The idea that someone needs to research device dimensions in order to share their personal experience with foldables is a bit much. Instead of accusing them of complaining for the “dopamine hit”, you could have said “hey, your experience is out of date”. That’s what jayd16 did, and then you rolled in with a complaint about…

Maybe because on hacker news, you expect slightly higher quality comments. Or at least a more forward-thinking opinion on consumer hardware.

Holding a different opinion is great, but dismissing on a modern cutting edge form-factor, one that has lots of love (as you can see even just in this thread), one that has painfully obvious benefits for reading, all because of "thickness" is daft considering the current crop of foldable.

Price would make 100% sense. But thickness? C'mon.

Some people genuinely go online just to complain. If he'd made a reasonable argument, I'd happily respond charitably.