Apple is about to do something to the iPhone it has never done before

Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone at its annual product event in Cupertino, featuring a bendable display that opens and closes like a book, starting at $2,000.

WEBDESK – MEDIABITES

Apple is about to do something it has not done in nearly two decades — fundamentally change what an iPhone looks like.

At its annual product event in Cupertino, California, on Wednesday, Apple is expected to unveil a foldable smartphone with a bendable display that opens and closes like a book — the most significant design departure from the rectangular glass slab that has defined the iPhone since Steve Jobs introduced it in 2007.

The New CEO’s First Big Test
The launch carries additional weight this year. John Ternus, who took over as Apple’s CEO just last week, faces his first major product moment, inheriting a company that has faced years of criticism for losing its innovative edge.

A foldable iPhone would be the boldest answer yet to those critics.

“A foldable iPhone would show a side of Apple that we haven’t seen in a long time,” said Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research.

The Price — And the Question
The base foldable iPhone is expected to start at least at $2,000 — nearly twice the price of the current high-end iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099 — due to more complex and expensive components.

Foldable smartphones have been commercially available since 2018 from Samsung, Motorola, and Google but still represent less than 2% of all smartphone shipments globally. Apple is expected to ship more than 12 million foldables next year, representing 5% of total iPhone shipments, according to Counterpoint Research.

The central question the market is asking is simple. Is foldability the feature that actually makes consumers want to upgrade? Only 14% of iPhone buyers cited features as their reason for purchasing — the majority replaced broken or lost devices.

What This Means for Pakistani and Gulf Consumers
At $2,000, the foldable iPhone will be a premium product targeting Pakistan’s growing affluent tech-consumer base and the UAE’s significant Apple-enthusiast community. With Apple already raising Mac and iPad prices due to AI-driven memory chip shortages, the foldable’s price point will test how far brand loyalty can stretch.

Apple has never been first. But when Apple does something, it does it at scale.

— Imran Malik | Technology Desk | MediaBites.com.pk | NJNewsline.com
Source: New York Times