Some expect the first foldable iPhone to arrive in 2026. Whether the company delays it further remains uncertain, but in the meantime, Apple appears quite optimistic about the device. A recent tweet by @Jukanlosreve has indicated that Apple’s sales ambitions for its foldable iPhones are pretty lofty.
Lofty goals
According to the post, Apple is expecting annual production volume to be around 15-20 million units. For context, Samsung had previously set its production numbers a little under 10 million units. The company later lowered it to 5 million. If Apple expects to sell 3-4 times more foldables than Samsung, that’s borderline delusional. Apple has the capability to move a ton of iPhones, but to introduce a new form factor and expect it to sell just as well? That seems unlikely.
Not to mention, the cost of a foldable iPhone could be pretty high. The post claims that Apple’s foldable iPhone could adopt a book-like form factor, similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold series. This means that its price could be close to the $2,000 mark, or even more. There is no doubt that Apple will do a good job creating a foldable phone, but the more important question is, who will want it, and who will be willing to pay for it?
Not just the iPhone
For the past few years, there have been rumors that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone. But it seems that Apple isn’t just stopping there. Rumors suggest that the company is also exploring other foldable form factors. This includes a potential foldable iPad and a foldable MacBook laptop.
This could be one of the reasons why Apple hasn’t been so quick to the market with its foldable iPhone. The company may want to get its (foldable) ducks in a row first before flooding the market with its new foldable phones, tablets, and computers. How the market will accept these new devices remains to be seen.
So far, Samsung has done a good job with its foldable phones. Many initially viewed the company’s Galaxy Z series of foldables as quite gimmicky. However, over the years Samsung has proven that the foldable form factor is here to stay. That being said, is Apple entering the market too late?
There are already talks about the potential for devices with rollable displays. This could act as an alternative to folding displays that could eliminate the crease.
