Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

cupertinolens.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 277 posts

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#131

Post by elxr »

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…

> bc the device needs to double its thickness

Considering how many people are dailying >6.8 inch phones (already massive in the average sized pocket), complaining about a thickness of 11mm* is just small brain behavior. I guarantee the weight is what you're noticing more than the thickness.

As someone who's into foldables but doesn't use one, the benefits are very real, especially if you read a lot of articles/blogs. Only reason I'm not using one is I can't afford the ones I want. How is a smaller phone, that's ideal for 1-handed use while having an expansive screen available at any moment, "running out of ideas"??? I like large screens, and I like being able to fit it in a small chassis. That's all it is.

* Samsung, Oppo, and Google's currently available foldables are all under 11mm

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#132

Post by crimsontech »

embedding-shape wrote: post #112
cavemandaveman wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> 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.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#133

Post by manoDev »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #99

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 res…

I don't believe it's really that, but the fact that Apple 1) is profitable 2) holds a lot of cash, and 3) has a proven capability to execute new products.

So by not attempting to enter market niches, they could be potentially leaving a lot of money on the table, while the downside of the product failing to get traction doesn't really kill them.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#134

Post by philistine »

embedding-shape wrote: post #112
cavemandaveman wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> 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…

So because their cables were subpar at one point (hint: they were bad because they got rid of insidious chemicals you don't want in your house), that means that's not their MO?

Failure at a mission statement does not mean you have a different mission statement.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#135

Post by elxr »

jayd16 wrote: post #86
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 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.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#136

Post by mike_hearn »

wlesieutre wrote: post #129
mike_hearn wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's definitely not due to running out of ideas. I have a Galaxy Fold and love it. I owned it for about two months before my wife went out and bought one for herself. And everywhere I go people want to look at it and play with it - quite remarkable. I haven't encountered any issues with apps not supporting the wider aspect ratio. It's one of those cases in which Android's up-front investment in more flexible software…

Think it'll last 5 years? I don't strongly care one way or the other about the form factor, but if it's more expensive, less durable, and has a worse camera, then I'm perfectly happy to have a one-piece phone.

I don't know but honestly I tend to lose, destroy or want to upgrade phones within five years anyway. So I'm not that sensitive to how long they last. I don't remember when I bought this one but it's probably 2-3 years old now and so far there haven't been any issues with it.

For me the ability to read on a bigger screen is the selling point. I flip it open to read things all the time. Feels like a small book.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#137

Post by copperx »

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.

Are you talking of Apple Records? They're mostly valuable because of the Beatles. Vinyls rarely break under normal usage.

I'm sure you're not referring to the flaky accessory company.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#138

Post by cosmic_cheese »

hbn wrote: post #89
cosmic_cheese wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More than that, it forces iPhone-only devs to get with the program and make their apps usable on larger screens too. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if next year they dissolve the iPhone/iPad distinction on the App Store altogether and maybe even remove the Catalyst toggle on the Mac App Store. If you make an iOS app, it’s also a full fledged iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS app too. I certainly wouldn’t mind. On my Mac th…

> I wouldn’t be surprised at all if next year they dissolve the iPhone/iPad distinction on the App Store altogether I hadn't thought about it but it makes sense and it makes me wonder how far this would reach throughout the rest of the OS. If the iPhone can fold out into an iPad Mini, will it get the rest of the iPadOS features? The iPad used to run iOS but they rebranded the version that runs on iPad to iPadOS to di…

I think they’re going to continue to make some features device-specific. They probably want to position the foldable iPhone as a midway compromise device rather than a full iPad and flagship iPhone replacement, targeting customers who prefer breadth over depth and capability when it comes to features.

Re: WWDC 2026: Apple is Folding

#139

Post by kqp »

Aperocky wrote: post #66

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…

To be fair, where this applies is specific countries outside the US, not just outside tech. Very few Americans own a smartphone and not a computer, and they are mostly poor and not in the market for an ultra-luxury phone. You’re describing affluent counties that became so recently, like China, South Korea, and Japan, and indeed that’s where foldables are currently doing well.
Post reply on HN