Fortunately, not every analyst has lost touch with reality. Brokerage firm Jefferies, for example, has lowered its rating of Apple’s shares, claiming the company is overvalued. One of the firm’s main concerns seems to be the price of the iPhone Fold, which could stifle demand.
While getting pumped up about the market performance of unannounced products is odd, I don’t agree that pricing will be Apple’s biggest issue with the foldable iPhone. In fact, the company has a few more pressing issues to solve before trying to claim the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s throne.
It’s the apps, silly
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released in 2020, and it was far from perfect. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
As a foldable phone skeptic, I always ask myself why anyone would buy a foldable phone. When faced with that question, foldable proponents tell me that those devices allow them to do things that are impossible on a common slab phone. Think of the easier multitasking, improved productivity, and more versatile app experience. Sadly for Apple, iOS seems unable to provide any of those things, and that’s a huge issue.Among the numerous issues with the OG Galaxy Fold was the fact that its big internal screen was displaying normal smartphone apps, but stretched to fill the space. It took Google and Samsung years to figure out how to show the apps’ tablet versions on the internal screen while keeping the smartphone version on the external display. What made that possible is that Android has the same app for tablets and smartphones.
Apple, on the other hand, separated iOS and iPadOS and the apps for the two platforms. So, if you need a tablet app, you’d need to download it separately from the phone app. I would be surprised if the iPhone Fold comes with anything different than iOS, which makes me wonder how Apple is going to handle apps on its internal screen.
Most games don’t need to be adapted for a foldable. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
The most likely option is that Apple will update the iOS app design guidelines to work well with both screens. If that’s the case, it’ll take some time before most developers update their apps, and some of them will probably never do it. Just look at the adoption of the Liquid Glass design among third-party apps and imagine how many developers will be eager to invest resources in a redesign for a niche device with a relatively small user base.
That would only exacerbate the iPhone Fold’s biggest flaw – the form factor doesn’t add much value to the overall iPhone experience. While many people want a bigger screen on their iPhone, this alone is unlikely to drive mainstream interest.
It’ll still sell better than any other foldable
Samsung has perfected the foldable form factor with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 . | Image Credit – PhoneArena
Despite all the potential issues, the iPhone Fold will be the first new form factor for the iPhone in its almost 20-year history, and Apple fans are going to love it for that. Everyone will talk about the device, and it will sell relatively well.What I mean by “relatively well” is that the Fold won’t need to outsell the iPhone 18 or iPhone 18 Pro to be considered a success. Currently, foldables account for less than 5% of the whole smartphone market, so the iPhone Fold just needs to beat the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That shouldn’t be such a big deal for Apple.
If there’s a big group of people eager to spend outrageous amounts of money on a novelty product, even if it’s undercooked, that’s Apple fans. Besides that, Samsung already proved that enough people want an awesome foldable, which is good for Apple. I’m sure the iPhone Fold will match Samsung’s build quality, and it’ll make many people very happy.
Probably the most important factor for the success of the iPhone Fold is Apple’s walled garden. Many people are intrigued by foldables but don’t want an Android device, even if it’s as good as the Galaxy Z Fold 7. These people have been hearing about foldables for years and are going to join the enthusiast crowd in making the iPhone Fold the best-selling foldable on the market, at least initially.
Apple’s greater challenge will be to keep the momentum. If the iPhone Fold is a bad device with poor software support and problematic performance, many people will be put off. We’ve already seen that happen with the Apple Vision Pro, and unless Apple makes iOS work at least as well as Android on foldables, its foldable might be a one-hit wonder.
“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!
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