If the foldable screen could be more robust, and the fold could be truly invisible when unfolded, I could see it being useful for some people as a phone-tablet hybrid.
Unfortunately features like hardware kill switches will probably always be too niche for a mainstream flagship.
Foldable displays are still relatively new technology and they have their downsides. People these days are very unforgiving of early tech. Everything has to be just be perfect from version 1 for people complain, but that’s not possible. You can’t perfect a product in isolation, you have to have earlier versions on the market to be able to find where the problems are.
I just don’t listen to them.
If the Model One Ford came out these days they’d complain it was too slow.
Whenever my upgrade window comes around, I ponder getting a folding phone. But two things stop me.
Firstly, they all run Android, and having been on iOS since 2009 I have very little ambition to switch.
Secondly, as it stands, it’s a point of failure that will massively impact its resale value when I upgrade. It’s bad enough trying to sell a phone with a two or three year old battery, but batteries can (in general) be replaced. Now imagine trying to sell a phone that has three years worth of screen wear on it, knowing that it could fracture at any moment.
So in the end, cool as they are, they’re also pretty handy to the manufacturers as offering a point of failure that’ll make them unsellable.
I have a friend with a foldable phone and it works wrt screen. The thing I can’t get over is the thickness because it seems too thick for a back pocket.
I personally believe it’s not supposed to be pocketed but to be backpacked. They’re trying to encourage less phone usage, you should use your watch for immediate notifications and only get your phone out to use it for taking a picture, drawing something with the apple pencil or another task that requires a phone. Most everything else should be done by the watch though.
Here’s the problem with the watch alone - folks like me who can’t see well up close (even with the larger font settings on the phone and the ‘zoom’ accessibility feature is…confusing?) and need glasses but either don’t have them or can’t find them in the time it takes for the notification to disappear. By that point, I may as well just use the phone.
When my glasses are handy, I do agree that the watch is a good use for this. Additionally however, my phone case is also my physical wallet with ID and a couple of credit cards. I understand that with Apple Wallet, these physical items are increasingly being able to be replaced by using the watch interface, but not always.
I get those are just a couple of examples using small anecdotes, but just my .02. If Apple could figure out a better way to make the Watch easier to see for people like me without requiring glasses, that would be ideal. Or if I could figure out why I can’t seem to use the Accessibility feature correctly, if that is the problem as well. I’ll work with it some more.
I think the biggest issue with that direction of technology is that pretty much every Android smart watch sucks. There isn’t anything in the Android ecosystem that’s comparable to the apple watch.
I agree, I think someone that’s into minimalism and sees the appeal of an iPad or an iPhone, would be happier to choose this, especially if it shares features like apple pencil support. If there isn’t apple pencil support then I’ll be upset.
If the foldable screen could be more robust, and the fold could be truly invisible when unfolded, I could see it being useful for some people as a phone-tablet hybrid.
Unfortunately features like hardware kill switches will probably always be too niche for a mainstream flagship.
I don’t understand why there’s a lot of hate here for a product people don’t have to buy lol. I think foldable phones are neat.
Foldable displays are still relatively new technology and they have their downsides. People these days are very unforgiving of early tech. Everything has to be just be perfect from version 1 for people complain, but that’s not possible. You can’t perfect a product in isolation, you have to have earlier versions on the market to be able to find where the problems are.
I just don’t listen to them.
If the Model One Ford came out these days they’d complain it was too slow.
Whenever my upgrade window comes around, I ponder getting a folding phone. But two things stop me.
Firstly, they all run Android, and having been on iOS since 2009 I have very little ambition to switch.
Secondly, as it stands, it’s a point of failure that will massively impact its resale value when I upgrade. It’s bad enough trying to sell a phone with a two or three year old battery, but batteries can (in general) be replaced. Now imagine trying to sell a phone that has three years worth of screen wear on it, knowing that it could fracture at any moment.
So in the end, cool as they are, they’re also pretty handy to the manufacturers as offering a point of failure that’ll make them unsellable.
I have a friend with a foldable phone and it works wrt screen. The thing I can’t get over is the thickness because it seems too thick for a back pocket.
I personally believe it’s not supposed to be pocketed but to be backpacked. They’re trying to encourage less phone usage, you should use your watch for immediate notifications and only get your phone out to use it for taking a picture, drawing something with the apple pencil or another task that requires a phone. Most everything else should be done by the watch though.
Here’s the problem with the watch alone - folks like me who can’t see well up close (even with the larger font settings on the phone and the ‘zoom’ accessibility feature is…confusing?) and need glasses but either don’t have them or can’t find them in the time it takes for the notification to disappear. By that point, I may as well just use the phone.
When my glasses are handy, I do agree that the watch is a good use for this. Additionally however, my phone case is also my physical wallet with ID and a couple of credit cards. I understand that with Apple Wallet, these physical items are increasingly being able to be replaced by using the watch interface, but not always.
I get those are just a couple of examples using small anecdotes, but just my .02. If Apple could figure out a better way to make the Watch easier to see for people like me without requiring glasses, that would be ideal. Or if I could figure out why I can’t seem to use the Accessibility feature correctly, if that is the problem as well. I’ll work with it some more.
Surely the best option is voiceover for key notifications on the watch?
Situation-dependent but sometimes, yes.
I think the biggest issue with that direction of technology is that pretty much every Android smart watch sucks. There isn’t anything in the Android ecosystem that’s comparable to the apple watch.
So? What does that have to do with Apple pushing this philosophy? It’s not their fault there isn’t an equivalent in the Android world.
Eh? I never said there was. I merely pointing out that it’s not a direction that the phone market in general is moving.
I didn’t say this was the direction the phone market was moving though. I stated this is how their devices are supposed to be used.
I agree, I think someone that’s into minimalism and sees the appeal of an iPad or an iPhone, would be happier to choose this, especially if it shares features like apple pencil support. If there isn’t apple pencil support then I’ll be upset.