Like all technologies that arrive at the consumer’s doorstep, foldable displays are not new technologies. They have been around since the mid-2000s. There was a dream about having displays rolled around like a scroll and unfolded when they needed to be used. Early patents for foldable display apparatus were unveiled in 2014.
Most smartphone manufacturer believes that folding displays are the next evolution in devices that we bring everywhere. And it is rightly so. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold lines are the best in the business and their Galaxy Fold smartphones are highly desirable and well built. However, Apple’s focus is far more than that. Here’s why Apple might do foldable devices shortly.
Apple Do Study Foldables
Apple spends around 10% of its annual earnings on Research & Development (R&D). That’s around $20 to $30 billion in 2023. At $30 billion, Apple spent more on research than Visa, the 137th biggest company in the USA, makes money. So with that much money, Apple can afford to study a lot of things and yes, they do explore the possibility of a foldable iPhone or iPad.
And there are a few patents that Apple made prototype devices with portable displays.
And there are a few reasons why Apple wants to explore and study foldables. Having an iPhone in your pocket which you can expand into iPad size is a sexy idea. But there are a few reasons why Apple didn’t bring that device to market.
Wayne Gretzky
What does Apple have in connection with Wayne Gretzky, arguably the most famous ice hockey player? There’s this presentation where Steve Jobs, founder of Apple quotes Wayne Gretzky
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been …
So Apple’s focus is being where the next trend will be, not just an evolution of current tech.
AR goggles is the Future
So Apple believes that the future is not a smartphone in your pocket, but a new kind of computing where the virtual and reality blend. Where the virtual augments reality. Augmented Reality.
Apple’s vision through its product, the Vision Pro, is spatial computing. Apple believes that having screens near your eye, simulating reality, and having virtual screens hovering around wherever in your field of view, is the future.
Some people agree with Apple’s Vision
This is not the future of AR or VR, this is the future interface of all computing - Casey Neistat
When I take it [the Vision Pro] off, every other device feels flat and boring: My 75-inch OLED TV feels like a CRT from the ’90s; my iPhone feels like a flip phone from yesteryear, and even the real world around me feels surprisingly flat. - Nick Bilton, Vanity Fair
Ok this is the best all-round video I’ve seen on the Apple Vision Pro so far pic.twitter.com/N7ngO4TcuB
— Aadit Sheth (@aaditsh) February 4, 2024
You put your virtual screens everywhere. Forget iPad or big screen TV. This is the future
Apple
Apple is a company with long-term plans that come into fruition years and even decades after that first step. This patent shows that Apple has mock-ups of Vision Pro at least 2006: when Apple #1 product is iPods and Apple just start selling Intel Macs.
What will they think of next?
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| Base | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhones | iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus - (Amazon) | iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max - (Amazon) |
| Watch | Apple Watch SE (Amazon) / Apple Watch Series 10 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Amazon) |
| AirPods | AirPods 4 (Amazon) | AirPods Pro 2 (Amazon) / AirPods Max (Amazon) |
| iPad | iPad 10 (Amazon) / iPad Mini (Amazon) | iPad Air M2 (Amazon) / iPad Pro M4 (Amazon) |
| Laptops | MacBook Air M3 (Amazon) | MacBook Pro M3 (Amazon) / MacBook Pro M3 Pro/Max (Amazon) |
| Desktop | Mac Mini (Amazon) / iMac (Amazon) | Mac Studio / Mac Pro |
| Displays | Studio Display (Amazon) | Pro Display XDR (Amazon) |
Other Ecosystem Items