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Iphone Apple

Apple Plans Thinner, Foldable iPhones To Revive Growth (msn.com) 92

Apple is preparing a series of major design and format changes to its lineup of iPhones and potentially other products, according to WSJ, a bid to revive growth after years of offering largely incremental upgrades. From the report: Starting next year, Apple plans to introduce an iPhone that will be thinner than the approximately 8-millimeter profile of current models, said people familiar with the company's plans. The model is intended to be cheaper than Pro models, with a simplified camera system to reduce costs.

The company is also planning two foldable devices, the people said. A larger device, intended to serve as a laptop, would have a screen that unfolds to be nearly as large as some desktop monitors, at about 19 inches. A smaller model would unfold to a display size that would be larger than an iPhone 16 Pro Max, intended to serve as a foldable iPhone, the people said.

Both foldable designs have been in development for years, but some key parts weren't ready. Major challenges included improving the hinge, a mechanism that allows the device to fold and unfold, and the display cover, a flexible material protecting the foldable screen. Current foldable phones on the market aren't thin, light or energy-efficient enough to meet Apple's standards, which is why Apple has been slower to enter this segment, said Jeff Pu, an analyst with Hong Kong-based brokerage Haitong International Securities.

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Apple Plans Thinner, Foldable iPhones To Revive Growth

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  • I think the long-running cycle of people buying a new iPhone every year to maintain its status-symbol, uh, status, is probably, finally, beginning to draw to a close, thank Jah. Only took, like, 16 years.
    • I think the long-running cycle of people buying a new iPhone every year to maintain its status-symbol, uh, status, is probably, finally, beginning to draw to a close, thank Jah. Only took, like, 16 years.

      And who are these people? Most people I know buy phones when the phones are too old to hold a charge. That includes iPhones and Androids.

      • Well, every teenager since 2010, for starters.
        • by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @11:09AM (#65016957)
          Most teenagers I know get their parent's old phone. Occasionally some of save up their own money for a phone. They are not buying a new one every year.
          • by Holi ( 250190 )

            So where do all the teens with new iPhones get them if most teenagers get hand me downs? You did say your personal experience involves most teenagers in America didn't you?

            • Apple made about 207.05 billion U.S. dollars from selling phones in the last four reported quarters. This totals to approximately 212.2 million iPhone units sold over the last year. At some point, we're going to have to agree that a product is as successful as it globally can be.
            • My point that you missed is they are not "new" as in brand new. They are new to them if they are handed down. Second, I said I know teenagers who buy their own phones, but they are not buying a new one every year unlike the OP contends. Even then, some of them are not buying "new" but refurbished models. They get a new one every few years. Just like every other consumer I know. And yes that includes teenagers in America. The only people I see with new phones every year are "influencers" and reviewers. Revie
          • You clearly don't know many teenagers.

          • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

            Most teenagers I know get their parent's old phone. Occasionally some of save up their own money for a phone. They are not buying a new one every year.

            I think it's the opposite - the teenager gets the new phone, and the parents inherit the teen's old phone. Most parents I know are just happy to get something reasonably current, and don't really care about having the latest and greatest. Then the other parent gets the first parent's old phone because they really don't care about having the latest phone.

          • by mjwx ( 966435 )

            Most teenagers I know get their parent's old phone. Occasionally some of save up their own money for a phone. They are not buying a new one every year.

            The problem isn't kids, it's the adults. Adults are not getting a new phone every year.

            Apple has just become another phone company, one that's not worth £1000 a phone.

            BTW, that whole hand me down thing was so 2009, now days parent's get a family plan that has 4 handsets rented.

      • that is almost exactly when I 'upgrade', though recently I have instead bought a new battery and put it in... But still, when my most used apps wouldnt run anymore, then I consider an 'upgrade'.

        My last iPhone lasted 7 years before that happened. That's better than the previous one, which only lasted 5 years before it needed 'upgrade'

    • Dunno about that. For some of them it nearly started last year. ArchieBunker was livid when the lightning cable went away and swore he was done buying more, but then another Apple ad rolled and he adores apple so much that he just couldn't stay mad at them.

    • Honestly, I think that cycle ended about 4 years ago. The last 4 or 5 iPhone models have all looked so similar that you can't really tell that you upgraded at all without a much closer look.

      I mean, if you look at an iPhone Pro Max 11 next to an iPhone Pro Max 16 you're going to struggle to tell the difference at a distance.

      • Honestly, I think that cycle ended about 4 years ago.

        Then you would have been disappointed 3 years ago when iPhones outsold the volume of 5 years ago. There was a dip in 2020. There's been several dips here and there, but the industry started riding highs shortly after again.

        • Honestly, I think that cycle ended about 4 years ago.

          Then you would have been disappointed 3 years ago when iPhones outsold the volume of 5 years ago. There was a dip in 2020. There's been several dips here and there, but the industry started riding highs shortly after again.

          Based on new features, iPhones haven't really evolved much over the last few years. However, sales have not dropped, staying at close to $200 billion per year and over 230 million devices per year over the last few years. We're geeks, so we judge devices based on specs and features. However, most consumers either don't base buying decisions on specs and features or are easily impressed by what geeks would consider to be non-features. Things like device thickness, color schemes, notches followed by not n

          • by GrahamJ ( 241784 )

            According to a quick search there are about 1.4B iPhone users, so ~230M devices/year means average buying rate is around one phone every six years. It would be interesting to see the graph of % of users per average buying interval but I imagine it would be a mountain peaking at 3-4 years, up from 2-3 years maybe half a decade ago.

    • Is it though? Apple has reported "slumps" like this several times before. It happens. Sometime a phone doesn't sell as well as the model in the previous year. I hope you're right but you may be celebrating prematurely.

    • by dbialac ( 320955 )
      I've owned 4 Z Flip phones. I liked the original Z Flip, the 3 (there was no 2), and the 4. I had the 5 and didn't care for it. The whole idea of a flip phone is twofold (no pun intended):
      • It fits better in your pocket unless you have ultra skinny jeans, but those jeans already fold your phone, just in an unwanted manner.
      • Prior to the 5, it's more durable. You can drop it even if it doesn't have a case and it won't break. I still have and use my original Z Flip for a second line, which was dropped by nurse
      • by dbialac ( 320955 )

        The design of the 5 destroyed this benefit.

        Oops. FTFMe

      • by GrahamJ ( 241784 )

        I haven’t dailied a flip but in my view a low-6” fairly thin slab seems more ideal in terms of pant fit and time-to use over the vertical fold style. Maybe it’s more protected but that alone isn’t really a reason to trade off convenience for me.

        The reason I’d maybe go for a flip is for the “open into a tablet” type. I’d make some tradeoffs for a much larger screen. I can definitely understand what you’re saying about the external display though - the con

        • by dbialac ( 320955 )
          I'd actually proposed a larger fold into a tablet concept, but one that folds into 3. When you'd open it, you'd have a full sized tablet. When collapsed, it'd be a phone. Still, I doubt I'd buy it because of the issues with an enormous screen being vulnerable to breaking and the huge expense of replacing it.
          • by GrahamJ ( 241784 )

            There is a Huawei one like that and it actually looks pretty decent (brand and price aside)

    • I think the long-running cycle of people buying a new iPhone every year...

      I know a lot of iPhone users, zero of them do this. Maybe you're thinking of the good ol' days while we were all under contract and phone upgrades were subsidized.

      • I've found a lot of people follow a 3 year upgrade cycle
        By that time you need a new battery anyway, and 3 years of incremental updates is a noticable bump.
        Latley that's starting to falter though, as the 13 to 16 jump wasn't all that big
        It's a little bit faster, it has a little bit better camera, they added a new button on the side and the port changed to usb-c

    • I don't know anyone, not even the "techbros" who cycle their phones out every year. Maybe in 18-24 months, as often that is when payments are up. I remember in the past, when smartphones actually started getting cool stuff, upgrading yearly meant something, but these days, most people won't really care, provided the phone is fast enough for daily usage.

      • Yeah like in the late 90s upgrading or replacing your desktop regularly had noticeable improvements, and until recently phones did to some extent but its all flat now. There's guys on Reddit that apparently will use the trade in promotions to swap between the latest Galaxy Fold and Ultra every 6 months but I think that's more for novelty than conspicuous consumption. The last phone I'd had anyone commented on was a Surface Duo, which was as much due to its rarity than anything else. Even something more v
  • 2020 would be very proud of you Apple!
  • courage and innovation rolling out of apple. Impressive
    • by mjwx ( 966435 )

      courage and innovation rolling out of apple. Impressive

      The Courage to Copy... erm... I mean innovate.

      Yet again Apple demonstrating that if you want to know what they've planned for next year, look at what Android was doing 2-3 years ago.

  • by Too Late for Cool ID ( 1794870 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @10:56AM (#65016923)
    Not an iPhone user, but I'd be willing to bet that if Apple added a couple of millimeters to iPhone thickness dedicated entirely to more battery, people would love it.
    • Make the whole thing as thick as the camera, make it the size of the old mini models.
      I'll 100% buy one.

      • Mini's sales were pitiful.

      • I'm holding on to my Mini until it physically stops working, or Apple releases a new one in that size. I'd be perfectly happy with it being a little thicker too, especially if it increased battery life. I have no desire for any of the new features Apple has pushed out since my phone came out that require a newer phone.

      • by antdude ( 79039 )

        If not, then please bring back the minis. Or at least, update SE to match mini's hardwares.

    • by Somervillain ( 4719341 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @11:40AM (#65017029)

      Not an iPhone user, but I'd be willing to bet that if Apple added a couple of millimeters to iPhone thickness dedicated entirely to more battery, people would love it.

      Agreed! Traditionally, pro means sacrificing convenience for performance, durability, and other things that matter to professionals. NO ONE is asking for a thinner phone. Our current phones are thin enough...any thinner and they just bend and break more easily...which Apple certainly wants, but no user does....this is like their "courageous" decision to remove the headphone jack. It makes a lot more sense to make a pro model 1mm or 2mm thicker and double the battery...charge more...and the users will be delighted...especially male ones. A big, burly phone is macho and will be a hit with the "bros"...especially if the processor is faster and you have 2 day battery life...give it a replaceable, rugged, shock-proof case and it'll be an even bigger hit. Make a thinner phone and I just have to buy a thicker case to protect it...because life happens. I have kids, a dog, and many reasons why my phone has been dropped, knocked out of my hand, or knocked off a table.

      I envy anyone whose life allows for a thinner phone.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by dfghjk ( 711126 )

        "Traditionally, pro means sacrificing convenience for performance, durability, and other things that matter to professionals."

        Not with Apple it doesn't. With Apple, Pro means fully bought in.

        An Apple Pro user does the same thing as an Apple Pleb user, except with his nose 5mm higher in the air. For this, an iPhone Pro needs to be thinner, not thicker.

        "Make a thinner phone and I just have to buy a thicker case to protect it...because life happens. I have kids, a dog, and many reasons why my phone has been

        • "Traditionally, pro means sacrificing convenience for performance, durability, and other things that matter to professionals."

          Not with Apple it doesn't. With Apple, Pro means fully bought in.

          An Apple Pro user does the same thing as an Apple Pleb user, except with his nose 5mm higher in the air. For this, an iPhone Pro needs to be thinner, not thicker.

          "Make a thinner phone and I just have to buy a thicker case to protect it...because life happens. I have kids, a dog, and many reasons why my phone has been dropped, knocked out of my hand, or knocked off a table."

          Your mistake is thinking Apple cares about your use case. Hell, you probably don't even wear skinny jeans.

          You're right...I wear fatass dad jeans...I get your joke, although Apple does have a long history of "air" being skinny and pro being chunky, greater warranty, etc.

          In a lot of ways, Apple is the victim of their own success. You can get by with a lot more hipster shit when you're just a luxury device. However, they're dominating the phone, laptop, and tablet market in the US...in the case of Tablets, by an overwhelming margin....so they have to cater to corporate customers now.

          I think under Tim Coo

      • I envy anyone whose life allows for a thinner phone.

        I don't. Arguably, my life DOES allow for a thinner phone. But I have a thick chunky case on mine anyway - not for protection, but for usability. I'm a life-long frequent user of hand tools, and I'm used to soldering small components, so my manual dexterity is better than average. Yet I find ultra-slim phones to be a PITA to handle and use.

    • Not an iPhone user, but I'd be willing to bet that if Apple added a couple of millimeters to iPhone thickness dedicated entirely to more battery, people would love it.

      I don't think an iPhone user who relishes in owning form over function designed devices will typically agree with that sentiment. How many idiots ran out and raved about an iPhone 4 with a glass back (was it the 4?) without thinking of the travesty that would be if dropped at any angle - not just with the screen facing the floor.

      I think there's a far larger group out there who will lap up what marketing tell them is The New Thing (TM).

      • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

        Apple has never, ever cared about providing high function to a broad spectrum of use cases. If you don't land square in the middle of their imagined need, FU.

        Apple made iPods that didn't even turn off and couldn't provide enough battery for a transoceanic flight. Did they care? Fuck no. Did they fix it? Fuck no.

        Apple will NEVER increase the size of a product to improve function. They introduced the MacBook Air with wildly inadequate internal storage and only one USB port, then marketed it to photograp

    • by GrahamJ ( 241784 )

      They did. And they did.

  • Judging from past experience, every time Apple makes the iPhone thinner, people buy it.

    The iPhone you roll up and tuck behind your ear is slated for 2030 at this rate.

  • Who wants this ? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by nehumanuscrede ( 624750 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @11:31AM (#65017001)

    I would much rather have:

    1) User removable / replaceable battery
    2) User removable storage ( via micro SD )
    3) Give me back the headphone jack

    • Apple is going to do none of those things.

    • Then you are not Apple's target demographic, and you should look to other manufacturers to fulfill your product needs.

      I don't know why that's not an acceptable answer. If they aren't making a product that fits, don't buy it.

      • by Jeremi ( 14640 )

        I am in Apple's target demographic -- I've been buying and using iPhones since 2008 -- and I think my current iPhone is the perfect thickness; there is no benefit to making it thinner. If I had a choice between a new iPhone that was thinner or a new iPhone that was the same thickness but longer battery life, I'd choose the latter.

      • You're going to struggle to find alternate vendors who aren't removing things like removable storage and headphone jacks to make their flagship phones thinner. Most vendors are just following Apple's lead, and incorporating their dumb design decisions into most of their own products to make themselves look culturally relevant.

        • by leptons ( 891340 )
          Other vendors should really focus on what separates them from Apple. People who don't want Apple, don't want to buy a phone modeled after Apple's design decisions, otherwise they'd have bought an iphone. I want a removable battery. I want an SD Card. I want a headphone jack. I am utterly discontented by all phone offerings from all vendors. Give me back a physical slide-out or fold-out keyboard too. I honestly don't care how thin a phone is as long as it fits into my pants pocket, which has so much room I c
        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Fairphone comes close, but you still need a dongle for headphones.

    • Almost everyone else wants this. Your needs and desires are not everyone's. For example I would like 2 and 3 but don't have the faintest interest in 1 since getting someone to replace a battery is cheap and trivial.

      That said you are asking the wrong question. It's not a question of "who wants this?", it's a question of "who accepts what they are told they want?". Marketing exists to create wants, and the answer for who falls for marketing is ... well nearly everyone.

      • by leptons ( 891340 )
        >For example I would like 2 and 3 but don't have the faintest interest in 1 since getting someone to replace a battery is cheap and trivial.

        Replacing a battery isn't only for when the battery is broken - it's an instant way to get back to 100% charge by swapping in a fully charged battery. I used to do this all the time when travelling when I was not able to plug in and charge the phone. I would carry 2 or 3 extra fully charged batteries with me, which allowed me to continue using the phone without nee
        • Replacing a battery isn't only for when the battery is broken - it's an instant way to get back to 100% charge by swapping in a fully charged battery

          That only makes sense if your phone is the only device you have. My battery bank with USB A and C outputs will charge my phone, my tablet, my electric toothbrush, my electric razor, my earbuds. Good luck finding one battery that would fit all of those.

          Once, I arrived in Athens only to realize that I had left both my international power adapters in my other suitcase. But the hotel had USB power sockets. Now I'm a bit paranoid about plugging my phone or tablet into unknown USB plugs, but I was able to leave m

          • by leptons ( 891340 )
            I know you're trying to start a pointless internet argument, but I lived with a replaceable battery for many years, and it was absolutely amazing compared to having to carry around a BRICK of a USB charger and a cable. The replaceable batteries for phones in the past were extremely compact, very portable, I could carry 2 extra batteries and they took up practically no space in my pocket. And no, I didn't always have room or desire to carry around anything but my phone and 2 flat extra batteries that took u
        • Replacing a battery isn't only for when the battery is broken - it's an instant way to get back to 100% charge by swapping in a fully charged battery.

          And if I were in this very corner case situation then I would buy one of the many solutions on the market to resolve this, kind of like the battery pack I'll be taking with me on the plane in 4 days. This is a problem that both has a solution, and also falls under the category of a very narrow market that is not worth serving in a primary feature of a device.

          Let me guess, you didn't buy a Fairphone 5? You just talk about this being some kind of killer feature and when a company releases a product specifical

          • by leptons ( 891340 )
            The problem is that the "battery pack" that you buy is often as large or larger than the phone itself, so no, that isn't going to work as well as a think almost completely flat battery pack. But you wouldn't know this because you're a fucking idiot. "Fairphone 5" does not have the other features I want. And I DO NOT WANT to have to plug in the phone to a giant battery pack which is slow to charge the phone when I could just swap out the battery and instantly be at 100% full charge. I'm not sure how you thin
    • Meh, the typical Slashdot comment.
      I have never needed to replace a battery on any phone I have owned either Apple or Android.
      What are you all doing to your phones where you have the incessant need to replace a battery?
      • We keep them longer than a year.

      • by leptons ( 891340 )
        When I was travelling off-grid and didn't have time to plug in a phone and keep it tethered to a charger, I would carry a few extra batteries with me, which were very small compared to the brick-like external battery packs we see today. I could just swap in a fully charged battery and continue using my device without the inconvenience of having a cord attached to the phone to recharge it. Sometimes on some excursions it's just not practical to have a phone tethered to a charger, and having an easily replace
    • by Fly Swatter ( 30498 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @01:07PM (#65017323) Homepage
      Apple knows that most of their repeat customer sales are because the owner is 'upgrading' to a new battery with usable life and not to a thinner case or slightly faster clock or screen.
    • by battingly ( 5065477 ) on Monday December 16, 2024 @03:10PM (#65017609)

      User removable means increased manufacturing costs and higher price. Headphone jack compromises water resistance and is useless for the vast majority of people because they use bluetooth. Not saying you're alone in wanting those things, but they do have significant downsides.

      • A headphone jack doesn't need to be any more of a compromise to water resistance than usb or the old lightning port.

      • User removable means increased manufacturing costs and higher price.

        Weird logic there. A car costs a LOT more to manufacture than a phone, and yet somehow or another lots of cars are being built. Same with airplanes, high end video cards, digital cameras, etc etc. They are all made regardless of the cost to actually manufacture.

        Or are you saying that nobody will pay for those features... that would be an odd pronouncement to speak for a lot of people that you aren't. Maybe if you could be other people for a day, you would change your tune to align more with their tunes. Peo

      • The Samsung Galaxy S5 had all the perks, waterproof, ir transmitter, card slot, dual sim (in EU the single sim version was sold), headset jack (no, it doesn't mean the device can't be waterproof), removable battery. Stellar GPS performance, long battery life, hi res display. Oh, and pocketable. And not more expensive than other flagships.
    • I would much rather have:

      1) User removable / replaceable battery
      2) User removable storage ( via micro SD )
      3) Give me back the headphone jack

      That's pretty much just you though.

      If people wanted any of those things, lots of phones would offer them. Instead virtually none do.

      • The first two run counter to frequent repeat sales.

        Instead of replacing the battery they want you to buy another new phone; instead of adding a memory card they want you to buy another phone with more memory.

        The days of products catering to consumers are mostly gone. Late stage mega-conglomerate-ism
        • Instead of replacing the battery they want you to buy another new phone

          But that's not really what happens. I know many. many people that get batteries replaced in phones. You only have to do that every few years, and it does not cost much, so a LOT of people do it already.

          The ability to change out the battery in a phone (or laptop) is just plain dead, because it's worse in all possible ways.

          instead of adding a memory card they want you to buy another phone with more memory.

          Again it's just a worse way. I

    • 1) User removable / replaceable battery

      Will never happen. The surveillance state wants your phone to always be available to them.

      2) User removable storage ( via micro SD )

      Again. Surveillance state requires all of your storage to be 'online' at all times.

      3) Give me back the headphone jack

      Won't happen... not because of the surveillance state though... but still the same group of people: analog audio is a DRM loophole. You can't have it.

      TL;DR, keep wanting. None of it will EVER happen again.

    • Add to this
      4) continue to support real sim cards next to esim
      5) bring back the mini format.

      Personally, I switched from Android to Iphone with the 12 Mini, because there was finally a small, great device that's dual sim (even if it's only one sim card)
      And I'm a big fan of the iPad Mini, too. But I'm still missing the headphone connector and have not updated the iPad Mini because it doesn't have a sim slot, either.

      Looks like it's time to have another look at the Android world to see if there's now a small, hi

  • there was howling and gnashing of the teeth everywhere. Apple sold the leftover 17" MacBooks at a reduced price as "refurbished". Took over a year until they were all gone.

    I've got a 16" MacBookPro. I like the big screen, but the MacBook is big and heavy. I'd be curious what a 19" MacBook would do.

    If it had a huge battery for longer battery life, and perhaps empty space to add two external SSD drives, that would make it interesting. (Two USB-C cables just long enough to handle an external drive).
    • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

      "...there was howling and gnashing of the teeth everywhere."

      Was there? Because I don't think there was.

      I hated it for sure, but then I believe Pro machines should actually have features for Pros. Remember when laptops had bays for multiple batteries and hard drives, because those were features were valuable to pros? If you were an Apple user, no you don't. But PCs had them, because PC's weren't for posers.

  • How thin is too thin?
    Discuss among yourselves.

    My phone is anorexic. Eat your hearts out.
    • At least it's a solid announcement. Usually we get "a rumor that Apple may be intending to announce a plan to potentially investigate the possibility of..."

  • Considering the slowdown in foldable phones, it wouldn't surprise me if Apple is holding off, then will release it at some event and the sheeple will line up for blocks!
  • ... and non-repairable

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