Apple NEEDS to launch a folding iPad before it launches a folding iPhone. Here’s why

Posted on 29/03/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Ever since the world’s first folding phone (the Royole Flexpai) was unveiled, it kicked off a smartphone innovation race that companies like Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo have locked horns in. It also raised some incredibly pertinent questions – will Apple make a foldable too? And when?

If patents are any indication, Apple HAS, in fact, been working on a foldable for quite a while now. Top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman have both indicated that internal sources say that the folding Apple device will be out as early as 2024 or 2025, although it isn’t entirely clear what this device will be. Many of us suspect Apple will launch a folding iPhone, while there are rumors of a folding iPad being in development too. While I’d love to see Apple and Samsung duke it out in the foldable phone space, I wholeheartedly believe a folding iPad is an infinitely better idea… even though the folks at Fast.Co think a foldable iPad would be “Apple’s worst idea”.

Here’s why Apple should build a folding iPad BEFORE they build a folding iPhone…

1. Nobody likes thick phones, especially Apple users

Ever since Steve Jobs walked on stage with a laptop thin enough to fit in a Manila envelope, it put Apple on a trajectory that would have it chase slimness… to a fault, really, with bending iPhones and atrocious butterfly-keyboard MacBooks. Even though Apple’s worked hard to fix those problems (schematics show the iPhone 15 is thicker than ever with a honker of a camera bump), the company just doesn’t do thick and rugged, with the sole exception of the Apple Watch Ultra. Given that the iPhone accounts for over 50% of Apple’s global revenue, a thick foldable phone would be an incredibly risky bet on Apple’s golden goose. Apple fans are also incredibly fickle-minded about their phones and Apple’s worked incredibly hard to make sure no change is TOO drastic to piss off the billions of iPhone users (the disappearance of the 3.5mm jack wasn’t taken to too kindly). The iPad, on the other hand, doesn’t have to fit into pockets the way the iPhone does. Make it thicker and you’re still innovating while being sensible about the kind of risks you’re taking. The iPad doesn’t travel outdoors the way the iPhone does. It doesn’t interact with water, dust, or just the elements the way the iPhone does either, making it the perfect product to iron out any kinks (or creases) you’d find in foldable technology.

2. An iPhone with a large screen already exists… It’s called the iPad Mini

Ask any foldable manufacturer what purpose a folding phone achieves, and they’ll probably feed you the same story – small form factor, big screen. The thing, however, is that there’s already an interim product in Apple’s catalog that fits that bill. The iPad Mini. With a marginally larger screen than the kind you’d find on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the iPad Mini scratches the foldables itch without being foldable. It’s compact, has support for a stylus, and even has the option of being WiFi + Cellular. Barring a flexible design, the iPad Mini is pretty much what the iPhone Fold hopes to be. Sure, Apple could create a phone so compelling that it would present itself as a wholly different device… but at the end of the day, the iPad also has a large screen, a camera (which could use some improvement), and the A-series chipset that’s also found on the iPhone. Apple’s already built the iPhone Fold… It just doesn’t fold yet. (And it really doesn’t need to)

3. Folding phones are just a parlor trick

Folding phones don’t make sense. No matter how you cut it, a larger screen doesn’t do much for the mobile experience. It’s still horizontally the same as a phone held in landscape, so it’s not like the YouTube or Netflix experience is improved. It’s vertically intact, so the TikTok and Instagram experiences remain unaffected too. What really changes is the operating system, which is an absolute headache. Current versions of Android’s foldable-friendly OS have their own glitches. Apps aren’t optimized for almost square-shaped displays, and let’s face it… nobody multitasks on a smartphone. That’s what tablets are for. Foldable phones are just a parlor trick. Folding tablets, on the other hand, can actually be useful.

4. The iPad Pro is already as powerful as a MacBook, so why not make it one?

Built with the M-series chipset, the iPad Pro has more in common with laptops than it does with other tablets. In fact, it’s so miles ahead of other tablets, it could just as easily pass off as a laptop. The iPad Pro comes with a smart keyboard that has its own trackpad, boasts of a Stage Manager feature that allows it to multitask just the way a laptop does, and even comes with every conceivable app you’d need to do whatever it is you’d otherwise do on a laptop… so why not just make it fold like a laptop too? Hybrid laptops are already a thing, and the iPad would absolutely excel in that category. You’re probably wondering that a folding iPad would then surely hurt MacBook sales. After all, I just said that a folding iPhone would hurt iPad Mini sales. Here’s my answer, folding iPads would barely scratch the MacBook’s success trajectory. The iPad runs a different OS, has just one port, and would still have a touchscreen keyboard, which only a small subset of Apple users would prefer over an actual physical keyboard. A folding iPad doesn’t replace the MacBook, but it sure would work wonderfully as an emergency MacBook.

5. The iPad already has 4 variants. Adding another one won’t hurt.

Mini, Regular, Air, Pro, Fold. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? The iPhone just has two models with no concrete need for a third. The iPad, on the other hand, could broaden its audience with a foldable to entice enthusiasts looking for the best of both tablet and laptop worlds. Moreover, the largest iPad currently boasts a 12.9-inch display – make it a foldable and you’ve got yourself a whopping 18.6-inch screen with a nearly 16:10 aspect ratio that’s honestly perfect for watching content and is just about as big as a small television… a small portable television that would be a great addition to and fill a current gap in Apple’s lineup.

6. Apple can still build a folding iPhone. It just makes sense to build the folding iPad first.

As much as I dunk on the idea of a folding iPhone, I still want to see what Apple pulls off with it. They’ve surprised me in the past with the Watch Ultra (a product idea that Apple executed perfectly) and even the Dynamic Island (which is a prime example of turning an eyesore into an entertaining product feature), and that makes me believe that Apple still has the ability to make users go wow. Although the iPad is far more popular in the tablet space than the iPhone is in the smartphone space, the iPad just accounts for 8% of Apple’s overall revenue, which leads me to believe that it’s much better to stress-test the concept there than to try and run before you can crawl. After all, I’d still find the idea of a $2000 iPad Fold a little more digestible than a $2000 iPhone Fold.

Image Credits: Semin Jun

The post Apple NEEDS to launch a folding iPad before it launches a folding iPhone. Here’s why first appeared on Yanko Design.

Breathtaking iPhone FOLD concept transforms from a regular smartphone into an iPad Mini

Posted on 22/02/2021 by Sarang Sheth

The internet is filled with rumors that Apple’s been working on a folding iPhone, and patents even show that Apple’s experimented with different layouts… but if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about Apple, they only debut products that fit perfectly into their ecosystem, and they spend years on product development in the pursuit of perfection; even though it can sometimes mean competitors beat them to the punch. With that being said, the iPhone Fold concept by Svyatoslav Alexandrov makes a compelling case for a folding smartphone. Here’s why.

From a strict ecosystem perspective, the iPhone Fold helps Apple develop one product that fits into two categories – the wildly popular smartphone category, and the sort-of dead mini-tablet category. With the iPhone Fold, Apple could easily discontinue the iPad Mini and focus on the higher-end, pro-grade tablet devices. The folding phone would then absorb the features of the iPad Mini, giving you a device that’s quite literally the best of both worlds.

The iPhone Fold concept designed by Svyatoslav Alexandrov (for the YouTube channel ConceptsiPhone) comes in the familiar Galaxy Fold format, with a primary 6.3-inch screen on the outside, and a larger, 8-inch folding screen on the inside. It ditches FaceID for the reliable TouchID, and turns the entire primary display into a fingerprint sensor – so you can unlock your phone simply by swiping up. The lack of FaceID means a significantly smaller notch with just one front-facing camera for selfies. The back, however, comes with the iPhone 12 Pro’s entire camera setup, featuring wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses, along with a flash and a LiDAR scanner. Open the iPhone up and it transforms into a squarish iPad Mini that’s designed to be perfectly portable. While the concept doesn’t say much about whether this device supports the Apple Pencil, I’d like to think it does, and designer Svyatoslav Alexandrov does mention that the concept is MagSafe capable and 5G ready, which already makes it a pretty good iPad replacement, all things considered.

Multiple sources say that Apple already is working on a folding phone and patents show that the company is researching hinge-details and even folding batteries. However, until folding phones really prove to be a smartphone category that’s here to stay, I suspect Apple’s experimentations will never really see the light of day. It’s fun though, to speculate how a folding iPhone can fit well into Apple’s ecosystem by reviving one product line (the iPhone), and retiring another (the iPad Mini)!

Designer: Svyatoslav Alexandrov for ConceptsiPhone

Apple’s Foldable iPhone 13 concept may unfold like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 or MotoRazr – what’s your pick?

Posted on 10/11/2020 by Gaurav Sood

Talking of smartphone designs – Samsung, Motorola, and now LG have all been bold enough to take a detour from the contemporary. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 that has matured elegantly from its predecessor and the compact Motorola Razr are very good examples of smartphone design evolution over the past few years. The never before seen swivel form factor of the LG Wing is also a bold move in the competitive market, and LG is also working on a foldable phone that looks to outsmart Samsung and Motorola in the near future. So, the question arises, when will Apple be showing us its next big leap in terms of design? Well, they have filed a patent for a folding display that suggests, the idea of a folding iPhone is coming to life, and now it’s only time before we’ll have our wishes granted.

Traditionally iPhones have always been very compact and designed with one-handed use in mind. To that end, Samsung and LG have not constricted themselves and brought big-screen phones to the market that are tailored for multimedia consumption. That competitive push has forced Apple to increase the screen size gradually, as this year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has a big 6.7-inch display. The Apple version of a folding phone could take design cues from the Galaxy Z Fold 2 if they decide to make it an all-out flagship-grade version, or go for a subtle Razr-like form factor if they desire to cater to a niche set of buyers. If we go by the patent filed by Apple, the display will have a crease-less foldable panel (like Galaxy Z Fold 2) and a folding mechanism similar to Motorola Razr – folding like a handy mirror. The early renders of the iPhone 13 are not exactly promising (for either of the versions) but we can count on Apple’s tendency to be thorough in its design testing and the result will be ready to shock and awe. Personally, I find the Moto Razr inspired fold a more unique design with the folded screen seemingly a throwback to the iPod Nano that was a part of their game-changing arsenal.

Any way they choose to proceed, a folding iPhone is inevitable and who knows it could be the iPhone 13 Fold or a new model that is positioned separately from the conventional iPhone series. Apple is going to bide their time before releasing such a revolutionary d

esign (Steve Jobs would have dared) as they now go for a very measured approach. Will it be able to lure the early adopters who are all in for future-forward designs? Sure they can if the design is ergonomic, the user-interface is seamless and the overall experience improves productivity beyond comprehension.

Designer: iOS Beta News