Could Apple enter the folding smartphone market? If this rumor has not left the Cupertino company for years, it has gained more and more weight in recent months. Indeed, the rumors from the corridors leaving Apple Park all point in the same direction, Apple is about to launch its first “Fold” iPhone.
If this name is not definitive, the concept would be adopted internally. The thinking heads of the Apple brand have reportedly decided to design a folding iPhone, in the same format as Samsung's Galaxy Fold. The South Korean firm for its part would be responsible for producing the screen via its subsidiary Samsung Display, which has already worked for Apple for years.
Regarding the iPhone “Fold”, the latest rumor about it was reported by“Yeux1122” a user first known on Weibo who has established himself as a very reliable reference when it comes to Apple. Apple's interest in a “Fold” iPhone is not new, but the choice of timing raises questions.
A market at a standstill?
The figures for the third quarter of this year 2024 for folding smartphone manufacturers offer two readings. The first is to say that there are fewer and fewer buyers, and that technology is reaching its first glass ceiling. In fact, sales fell by 1% between 2023 and 2024. This is the first time that sales have been down from one year to the next at this time of year.
But the other reading grid, just as valid, supports the opposite thesis. She explains that there are more and more players, and that they are experiencing exponential growth (with the exception of Samsung). This is particularly the case ofXiaomi, almost absent from this market in 2023. The Chinese firm now controls 6%, an increase of 185% compared to last year.
Apple could rely on these figures to launch into the folding smartphone market. The Apple brand knows that it can count on a very large customer base and the launch of the iPhone Fold will, in this sense, be a major change for the folding smartphone market.
It remains to be seen whether the general public will follow Apple in this new project. The apple brand missed the launch of itsApple Vision Prolast February, andthe launch of Apple Intelligencethese last few weeks leaves much to be desired. An accumulation of difficulties which could cool Tim Cook and his teams.
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By : Keleops AG
