Apple‘s entry into the foldable phone market comes later than Samsung and Google, but the company’s leadership is confident the iPhone Duo foldable will stand out. In a recent interview, Apple CEO John Ternus and SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak explained why the iPhone Duo foldable took longer to arrive and how it differs from Android rivals already on the market.
Design and Materials: Why Apple Waited
Ternus was direct about what he sees as shortcomings in existing foldables. He criticized what he calls “cheap-feeling plastic” surfaces on devices like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 8, highlighting the iPhone Duo‘s nanotexture finish as a superior approach to the polymer displays that foldables typically require. The focus on materials reflects Apple‘s philosophy of waiting to enter a category until it can deliver a refined experience, rather than rushing to market first.
Interestingly, Ternus also noted that while Apple kept the iPhone Duo foldable largely secret during development, competitors still managed to learn about certain details like the aspect ratio ahead of the official announcement. This suggests the company faced the usual challenges of keeping hardware under wraps in a connected world.
Software and Developer Partnerships
Beyond hardware, Apple is banking on strong relationships with app developers to give the iPhone Duo foldable an edge at launch. Ternus and Joswiak highlighted that Slack, Netflix, and Zoom will be optimized for the foldable from day one. The company is also taking a page from its own playbook: there’s a month-and-a-half gap between announcement and launch, mirroring the three-month delay Apple gave third-party developers when the iPad launched in 2010.
The leadership team emphasized that the redesigned iOS experience on the Duo represents the “smartest way” to approach foldable software, calling it “incredibly intuitive” and “continuous.” This follows the pattern The Era of Cheap Smartphones Is Over as Price Hikes Become Permanent described, as Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs S25 FE: Explaining the $50 Price Increase covered similar findings about how premium positioning affects the broader market. Early adopters should prepare for some black borders on apps that haven’t been optimized yet, but Apple is betting its developer relationships will minimize that friction.
When the iPhone Duo foldable launches next month, it will face established competition, but Apple believes its approach to materials, software, and partnerships will justify the late arrival to the category.
المصدر: 9to5Google
