Apple preps even thinner, foldable iPhones and MacBooks
Starting in 2025 Apple plans to introduce an iPhone that will be thinner than the approximately 8-millimeter profile of current models, The Wall Street Journal reports citing “people familiar with the company’s plans.” The thin new iPhone is “intended to be cheaper than Pro models, with a simplified camera system to reduce costs.” Apple is also planning two foldable devices, an iPhone and a MacBook, the same people said.
Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie for The Wall Street Journal:
A larger device, intended to serve as a laptop, would have a screen that unfolds to be nearly as large as some desktop monitors, at about 19 inches. A smaller model would unfold to a display size that would be larger than an iPhone 16 Pro Max, intended to serve as a foldable iPhone, the people said.
Both foldable designs have been in development for years, but some key parts weren’t ready. Major challenges included improving the hinge, a mechanism that allows the device to fold and unfold, and the display cover, a flexible material protecting the foldable screen.
Current foldable phones on the market aren’t thin, light or energy-efficient enough to meet Apple’s standards, which is why Apple has been slower to enter this segment, said Jeff Pu, an analyst with Hong Kong-based brokerage Haitong International Securities.
Apple experimented with other different designs, such as having a display on the outside of the device when it is folded, but it now favors an inward-folding design, people familiar with the devices said…
As for the ultrathin phone, it would offer an alternative to consumers who like a sleek-looking device and don’t mind giving up some features available in Pro models.
MacDailyNews Take: Both the iPhone and MacBook are best-in-class devices, yet they could still use some aesthetic changes and experimentation to drive new sales.
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