John Ternus is entering his second week as Apple’s chief executive, and the company has announced the biggest iPhone design change since the smartphone launched nearly 20 years ago.
Ternus, who became Apple CEO after Tim Cook’s resignation, appeared on stage at the company’s annual product launch event on Wednesday alongside a giant image of Apple’s first foldable iPhone.
Called the iPhone Duo, the new device features a book-style folding design and is Apple’s largest iPhone yet. It is also the company’s most expensive smartphone, with prices expected to range from $2,000 (£1,475) to $3,200.
Ternus said the iPhone Duo was “inspired by the iPad,” while describing its folding mechanism as “fluid and completely intuitive.”
Apple’s foldable iPhone has reportedly been in development for several years as the company works to create a new premium smartphone category.
When fully unfolded, the iPhone Duo resembles a compact iPad. Folded in half, it has the wider profile of a traditional iPhone.
During the launch event, Ternus said Apple wanted to avoid the design problems associated with existing foldable smartphones. He argued that some rival devices “feel like two phones glued together” and that their larger displays can appear smaller than expected.
He added that the iPhone Duo was “the result of a series of amazing innovations” designed to redefine the foldable smartphone experience.
Ternus previously served as Apple’s head of hardware for several years before being chosen as Cook’s successor earlier this year. He was also closely involved in the development of the foldable iPhone.
Ben Wood, principal analyst at technology research firm FDM, said Ternus’s promotion may have been deliberately timed to coincide with the launch of the new iPhone, which could become one of Apple’s biggest product releases in years.
“Nothing happens by chance at Apple,” Wood said.
The redesigned iPhone could help Apple respond to criticism that it has yet to deliver another blockbuster product or major innovation on the scale of the original iPhone, which launched in 2007.
“Foldables will become a premium addition to the portfolio and provide badge value, but there is a risk that they will not generate meaningful growth,” said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.
The previous iPhone lineup had a maximum starting price of $900 (£664). Apple also announced the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro on Wednesday, with starting prices of $1,200 (£885) and $1,300 (£959), respectively.
Chatterjee said the foldable iPhone could eventually replace Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which costs $3,699 (£2,729) and has struggled to attract buyers. Alternatively, he suggested that the iPhone Duo could become Apple’s next major product category, similar to the Apple Watch, which is less popular than the iPhone but still sells to millions of customers each year.
Wood noted that foldable smartphones from manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei currently account for only about 2% of global smartphone sales. Although Apple’s entry could increase consumer interest, FDM expects foldable devices to represent approximately 4% of the overall smartphone market over the next decade.
The iPhone remains Apple’s best-selling product, generating more than half of the company’s annual revenue.
Apple has said in recent quarters that iPhone demand remains stronger than ever and that its latest model delivered the company’s most successful product launch to date.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk