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Forward-looking: It's becoming increasingly difficult to convince people to buy the latest smartphones when their next-generation upgrades are barely noticeable. This is especially true when it comes to iPhones. Starting next year, however, Apple will reportedly begin releasing thinner and foldable devices, including a foldable iPad the size of two tablets, which it hopes will help revive a stagnant market.
Citing people familiar with the plans, The Wall Street Journal writes that Apple is set to release an iPhone next year that will be thinner than all the current models.
Apple intends for the super-thin iPhone to cost less than the iPhone Pro handsets. This will be achieved by using a simpler camera system and dropping some of the more advanced features found in the Pros.
It's presumed that this handheld is the previously rumored iPhone Air 17. Bloomberg's Apple sage Mark Gurman wrote that the iPhone Air will be around 6 mm thick. That's more than 2mm thinner than the super slim iPhone 16 Pro (8.3mm), and even more streamlined than Apple's thinnest-ever phone, the 6.9mm iPhone 6 from 2014.
The WSJ also reports that Apple is continuing its preparations to enter the foldables market, long after Samsung found success with its Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold series.
There have long been rumors that Apple is developing what could be called the iFold, a foldable iPhone. The latest report claims that Apple is also working on a massive foldable iPad – something else we've heard before.
Courtesy of iOS Beta News
The foldable iPad sounds especially interesting. It's said to be the size of two regular iPad Pros side-by-side when unfolded, so the device could be akin to a portable monitor.
Apple has apparently been experiencing some problems with its foldable devices, especially the hinge and flexible cover. Samsung's first Galaxy Fold had its launch delayed by months as the screens were breaking due to debris making its way underneath the display via the center crease. And hinge issues can affect even modern foldables, as this writer discovered with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (below).
Apple is also reportedly working to ensure the foldables don't have a noticeable screen crease, something that still puts off potential foldable buyers.
We had heard that Apple planned to release the foldable iPad first, followed by the folding iPhone. But it now appears that the folding handset will debut first, possibly in 2026.
Not too surprisingly, the promise of Apple Intelligence hasn't caused a lot of people to rush out and buy the latest devices. With less than 1% projected revenue growth for iPhones in fiscal 2024, Apple hopes going foldable and thinner (and cheaper) will help turn things around.
Image: Ran Avni/Behance
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