Technology

I like the idea of it, but I can live without it.

A foldable phone has the benefits of a tablet (screen size) and a phone (more compact), allowing you to alternate between the two at will. I can see the appeal.

You can't understand why someone would want phone that becomes a tablet? Really?

I do. Consolidating my phone and tablet into a single device would be very convenient. Adding support for an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to replace my laptop would be even better. I didn't buy a Duo not because I don't want the product, but because I know they won't work well for another few iterations (at least).

I'll join the chorus. If the price-point were right and the tech were reliable, I'd happily trade a good amount of thickness in order to have the option of an iPad Mini or an iPhone, but in the footprint of the latter when not in use. I really prefer to carry my phone in my front pocket and not to EDC a bag.

It's just that the price-point is wrong and the tech is not reliable.

The article says that the best guess is there's a physical part of the hinge about there that must be perfectly aligned, and if it isn't then that specific screen is eventually doomed.

Same goes for the first model year of vehicles

This shouldn't be a 1.0 version of a phone with a folding screen, though, android phones have been doing this for a loooong time now and they are not and haven't been flaky tech for some time now. I guess you're right about Apple and this SKU, though. A bit surprising, I'm not an iPhone person but I always expect them to do pretty rigorous QA.

They still have to develop the software.

Even if they just clone the hardware.

Apple usually do the software more integrated than Android shipping phone companies.

It makes sense that it takes longer to do those integrations.

For me the price point is just becoming insane for even basic iPhones and the battery life is terrible

I like tech, I think it's cool, and expensive features almost always become cheap or standard features in the future.

When someone figures out how to do this well, I will definitely want a folding phone. Although I want a phone that folds half the size of a normal phone, not a normal phone size that folds out to a tablet.

Apple ia not brraking into a new segment with new tech like Samsung did. Foldable phones have been around long enough for them to sell a working phone.

This is hilarious to me because all I hear from Apple fanbois about why iPhones are always years behind Samsung et al on new features is because "Apple don't release things until they work properly"

In a way, yes. But in another way, no.

It is a first gen device, but the screen came from samsung and has been developed for a long time. Galaxy folds don't break like this one does.

Apple made some bad choices in the design instead of building upon samsungs tried and tested design.

Remember the iPhone 6?

As an owner of multiple galaxy folds, I really wish people that don't see the use case would stop treating their opinion as fact.

This is a phone that folds open into a tablet.

Not "basically a tablet"

The apple one is nothing special, its essentially the same as the wide fold 8. (The one i currently use)

I have a tablet. I don't use it. Because it is heavy, it doesn't fit in my pocket and i can't make phone calls on it. All the things that make a phone different to a tablet are present on my "basically a tablet"

I have a specific use case for this phone. It suits me down to the ground. I don't pretend this phone is for everyone, but i also don't pretend it is for no one like you have done here.

Sorry to direct this at you, but it really does trigger me when i see this type of comment.

If you don't see it working for you then just don't buy one. No need to throw shade because you personally don't like them.

I never really understood the appeal of these.

They are nifty tech but new black rectangle that does the same shit as the last black rectangle has long ago stopped interesting me.

I now just get medium priced black rectangle every four or five years and ignore everything in between.

I am all about trying new stuff though. Remember when phones had cool gimmicks? Now they are all exactly the same damn thing. Shit, even my old Samsung Galaxy whatever had an IR blaster and heart rate monitor. Now they don't even have 3.5mm head phone jacks. Every phone is the same black rectangle. I think a phone like the one from the Spike Jonze movie "Her" would be sweet.

Apple is slow on everything and manages to act like they're top shelf.