Hardly matters, the sort of people who buy such a pointless, gimicky and overly expensive phone will keep buying Apple regardless.
Surface Duo for life.
3ds FTW!!!
I am an old IT guy. This was a hard and fast rule: Never buy version 1.0 of anything.
Anything with a folding screen would also work…
Same goes for the first model year of vehicles
Yup.
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.
It is ver 1.0 for Apple. Same as touchscreen for laptops. Apple hasn’t done it.
They’re always a few versions behind, but somehow manage to get credit for the “innovation”.
“it just works” has been wrong for so long
They just call their stuff random names?
Oh this? It’s our dingligongle 5000. No, no it only LOOKS like a USB cable, but see that apple logo?
I had some issues with a Fold3 and had it replaced for some micro-cracks showing down the middle of the crease, but now I’m beating the shit out of a fold 7 and it’s been perfect for a year so far.
apple got something wrong with the hinge design here, you’d think they’d get it right after holding off on folders this long though.
These Folds are built like tanks (relative to the complexity). The engineering is really impressive.
Apple is slow on everything and manages to act like they’re top shelf.
This is basically a tablet people, get a dam tablet, especially one that isnt 2000 USS. 😑
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.
Personally, I want the Duo because trying to ssh into a server in Termius on my iPhone with my aging eyes is rough. This will give me a tablet’s worth of terminal screen that I can bring with me in my pocket. And if work is paying for it, why the hell not.
There are legitimate use cases. Haters just want to feel superior.
.ssh/config and tab autocomplete are how I manage. I do the squinting once if I can help it
I’m happy you fit the niche.
I don’t. I agree with them that for the price of the folding iPhone, I already have an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and can take calls on all three of them. I dont care if my iPad is heavy because I have two more portable devices
You’re almost the perfect use case lol. The whole point of the fold is for people that have or want both a phone and a tablet, but only want to carry one device.
I don’t currently have an iPad. My wife does and I end up using it a lot. I want an iPad mini for the times that I want just a bit bigger screen, but I’ve held off because I don’t want another device.
So I’ve got a duo on order. 90% of the time I’ll probably have it closed. The other 10% of the time it’ll serve the use that I use my wife’s iPad for but will have my setup instead of her layout that I’m not used to lol.
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.
Along with the increased prices, its mind boggling to me that people want to pay rent prices for a stupid phone that aint gonna last 2 years.
Thats how a phone should be, hence i went to android cause of that. Tired of Apples BS
I’m with you in spirit, but phone can last longer than two years, especially if you change the battery.
I lost my USB-C port a long time ago, so I got a contact charger and syncthing…
I mean, ok? The flagship androids cost the same or more and have less support lol. They literally don’t last nearly as long as iPhones.
I do kinda agree, I could see myself getting some use out of a fold style phone, but I am definitely not the target audience.
But I could see a lot of smaller benefits for a flip style phone. Having a smaller square even if it is chonk, would be easier to store while cycling or running, or even just putting it in my backpack pockets. Would I be willing to fork over that much money… Probably not, I would most likely get something like a fair phone
But why tho? A modern phone will be more than enough to cycle or run with. A bigger map is of no use when zoom exists.
Because having the smaller profile in your pocket, but being able to fold out to watch content on a higher screen is completely different than zooming….
Sure you can zoom in on a YouTube video, but why? You’re just getting a nose or something instead of the video.
The fold is for when you do most of your stuff on the small screen, but want the big screen for certain things and don’t want two devices to do it. Which is the perfectly valid use case.
Taking a modern large screen phone on a run can be a pain in the ass. Why get a small phone and a small tablet when you can have a small phone that unfolds into a small tablet when you want it to?
A tablet can’t fit into your pocket. I’ve been using folds for the past 6 years and I’ve been very happy and can’t go back. Never had one break it’s screen either. 2000 USD being an insane price for one on the other hand, I can agreed with.
The other interesting part to me is that most iPhone users have gotten used to using faceid. I know not everyone likes using it but it is the standard use for iPhone users. The Duo doesn’t have face ID, and switches you back to having to use touch ID on a side button like on an iPad. (I assume because they couldn’t figure out a standardized position that would work well when you are rotating/folding/unfolding whatever to that could consistently work well.
It’s weird, I saw the demos and you don’t even get significantly more info on the screen because you go from awkwardly-shaped profile view to landscape view so everything just gets stretched to the side.
Yup. I think the old Pixel Tablet has a few years of Graphene support left. That’s seems like a good option at a much better price point, but check me on those EoL dates.
It must be spectacular because it has a stamped logo of an Apple.
It’s literally the same price as all the other folding phones. Being Apple is irrelevant.
Sure, you can say $2000 is too much for a phone. I’m inclined to agree. But this is clearly the market price for a foldable phone across the board.
It’s a first generation product. Remember the first Galaxy Fold and what a disaster that was? It’s kinda like that (only more expensive).
Apple should have the benefit of hindsight but apparently not.
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”
History is not in their side unfortunately.
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.
It’s still the first time Apple had a go at it and its design is obviously flawed
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?
The first phone to perfectly bend with your butt. And it came in rose gold. It’s awesome.
Apple probably didn’t plan for their planned obsolescence to work THIS quickly.
I’m a borderline fanboy but this was damn funny.
Every phone maker seems convinced that if they can be the one to make this work, they’ll be the champion of world forever, or something.
I can’t understand why a user would even want this. How many users do want this?
China phone manufacturers like Xiaomi, OPPO, Huawei already have 5th or 6th Gen folds and they are awesome. Many people here use folds. The build quality is outstanding.
Plus the software is actually designed to use either the full screen or split screen. What Apple have done is a joke. The few people that bought the Apple fold, are returning it because the software is useless.
I want one but then I go to T-Mobile and see that dammed crease in the middle and I know my OCD ass won’t be able to handle it.
And I work in the repair industry so it wouldn’t last very long. And it has no practical use. At all. It’s just a keeping up with the Jones gimmick and it’s made by apple. All their tech sucks they survive on nothing but name.
You can’t understand why someone would want phone that becomes a tablet? Really?
Not in this form factor, no. It’s too wide and… square to be convenient in either mode. The BlackBerry passport was a bad form factor for similar reasons.
For real. Just last weekend I was at a conference and realized that I left my tablet at home and the agenda/workbook for the event was PDF. I was pinching and scrolling with my iPhone while my colleague next to me opened up his Galaxy Fold and was reading everything fine. I mean, yeah, it’s not a common need for me, but there’s definitely use-cases for this–especially for people who have to read digital documents on the go a lot and don’t want to have to carry extra devices just to do so.
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.
Things are already generally optimized for a phone screen though.
I get the appeal, especially as I get older and my vision isn’t as good. Having a screen that can be bigger as needed helps in a number of ways. That said, no way I’d buy one because I don’t see how they survive in the long term.
The concept is kinda cool. Take the Galaxy Fold 8 for example; a nice and compact phone that actually fits in your pocket and can be a tablet if you wanna watch a movie or something in bed or public transport.
I still wouldn’t buy one; spending over a grand on a phone that even if it holds up fine can be damaged by accidentally tapping on the screen wrong seems dumb. Nevermind that I personally wouldn’t buy a Samsung for multiple reasons.
can be damaged by accidentally tapping on the screen wrong
That’s not really a thing unless you mean tapping with a hammer or something. I’ve been using these since the Z Fold 3.
It’s not the most wise way to spend your money of course, but not everything needs to be.
Isn’t the inside screen really soft and prone to pressure damage?
Pressure damage? Like, accidental, with your fingers? No, neither is it especially scratch prone.
I think I was talking about the small permanent ridges you could make with your fingernails. It’s entirely possible that they solved that problem a few generations ago, though.
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.
Why would I want this? Because I’m sad and I fly around the world and I thought that instead of having a tablet and phone I could have it in one!
Then I listen to these tech YouTubers say that this is it! I bought my folding phone and I very rarely unfold it. Wasted so much money and I’m like bleh …
Then guess what? I see the YouTubers say, last year’s iteration wasn’t it, but this year’s one fixes it!
Urgh …
I bought my folding phone and I very rarely unfold it. Wasted so much money and I’m like bleh …
Basically the experience I had with my first smartphone: I got it into my head that having a foldout QWERTY keyboard would make writing more than just short text messages on a phone less weird and that getting a Nokia would also help ease the transition from dumb to smart since most of my previous phones had been Nokias.
Turns out I quickly stopped using that keyboard and the Symbian OS Nokia used back then was compatible with like a dozen apps or so 🤦🏻
I would’ve loved it if it had the flagship processor and cameras. Having an iPad mini in your pocket is great for things, plus being able to have dual applications running is great. But I can live without it for now. It wasn’t an upgrade like a pro max iPhone was.
me, i have a Motorola flip, excellent pockeabikity, tried the Samsung Fold 8 (not ultra) looks excellent for my use but I’m poor, so it stays on the display.
I wanted one. I tried to buy one. It sold out faster than I could click add to cart.
I currently have an iPhone 16 pro max and it isn’t big enough. I liked the idea of having a bigger screen on-demand, in a portable cellular form factor.
Guys, we had the optimal form factor, the LG Wing, years ago! No folding displayed required!
I’m not even joking. I used mine for years and loved it.
I like the Surface Phone 2 form factor. Having the display be glass helps a ton, and the bezel inside is pretty small. It would be even better with an e-ink outer display; that’s plenty for most phone things, and then you could open it up for videos and such.
Yeah, another great phone that we need more versions of. LG also tried that via a case for the Velvet.
Guys, we had the optimal form factor, the LG Wing, years ago! I used mine for years and loved it.
I genuinely thought this would be some old ass phone from when before smartphones were a thing.
It came out in 2020. The phone I’m typing this on came out 1,5 years after that.
Also what is this monstrosity??
It’s awesome multi-tasking bliss, and it’s durable, and it’s easy to repair if you do break it!
Investors want repeats of the iPhone and social media revolution. They won’t get it by making tweaks to the smartphone or social media platforms. Nothing will stop them from trying, but all of this is just spinning the wheels.
These things would sell like hotcakes if they didn’t cost so much and were reliable. People want them, the tech just isn’t perfected yet, and who knows if the price will ever be reasonable.
Meh I like no tech and making attempts. I would never spend that money on a phone. I have never spent half that on a phone.
I like products not designed for absolutely everyone though, niche is nice
Phone new oogga booga phone go squish oogga booga
I was all set to wait for a Motorola Razr with Graphene to drop (and finally be done with Apple) until I read the iFixit tear-down of the Duo and realized that all foldables are fragile and require extra care (that I, a surfer and parent of four children, cannot guarantee). I think now I’m going to get a Fairphone 6 with /e/
Yeah, they’re nowhere near as hardy, that’s for sure. I have a galaxy Fold, took a vacation to the beach last month… basically had to leave the phone in the hotel for the entire weekend lol.
I just want Motorola to remake the old RAZR V3xx with 5G and a decent UX.
I’d literally buy two.
Tbh, I figured Apple taking their time on these was because they were trying to improve the engineering over the Android folding screen offerings.
Now I wonder if they just wait because everyone assumes Apple would try and make it better, and then they just sell a bunch + the Apple tax, even though it’s just as bad of a product. Like, the marketing team just saying: “wait a couple years”.
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
They still have to develop the software.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold was released 7 years ago.
Apple usually do the software more integrated than Android shipping phone companies.
And yet the software rollout has been very bungled, and added more fragmentation into the app store, adding a “designed for iphone duo” label and poor support for existing apps. About 10-15 years ago, this is something which Apple fanboys made fun of Android about.
Given Jobs didn’t even want a larger iphone form factor, he’s probably rolling in his grave by the fragmentation this causes.
It’d be interesting to see a different world where Jobs were still alive and what Apple would have done differently. Jobs did have a history of hypocritical statements which basically boiled down to “Feature X sucks, no one wants it” until Apple would come out with the same feature, and then he’d say “Now that Apple re-engineered Feature X, it’s perfect, buy it from us”. I could see him selling the iPhone Duo but the difference would be he’d push for better app integration over the last 10 years ahead of launch so that it’s not so janky.
If given the choice between all these different sized iPhones and a foldable iphone, I do think from my completely uninformed view of him, that he’d maybe choose the foldable option heh. But ya it would be interesting to see the difference in how the company unfolded.
True, but one might have hoped they were doing both in parallel. If no one can improve the hardware, these are going to go the way of 3D TVs, though due to reliability rather than annoyance and nausea.
That’s the exact failure that happened on the bend test for Zak on JerryRigEverything. Crazy it’s happening without the full-muscle stress test.
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.
Yeah, this boils down to a manufacturing engineering problem. There’s some process happening during assembly that’s resulting in these slipping by… or being allowed by.
EDIT: And I mean, yeah, the thing could’ve been designed better from the get go, but that ship sailed long ago.
This is what happens when you chase dumbass trends.
There’s always a percentage of devices that fail. This is a non-story without the stats.
Yeah, you can write this type of article about literally any product that has ever released in the history of the world. Some percentage of them break quickly, it’s everything else around the story that matters like what percent it is and how the company reacts to it.
It survives exactly 75000 folds before it fails
