Apple’s new foldable iPhone needs to nail two key features in order to make it a success.
Those two features are:
Foldable display durability.
Amazing, intuitive software experience.
I’m not worried about the hinge durability since Apple has been making hinges for years and have some of the best hardware in the market. The main concern is with the foldable display.
Apple did innovate hard with Ceramic Shield 2, being 3x better at scratch resistance, and is the only phone with non-existent scratches on a level 6 to barely scratching at a level 7 on mohs scale of hardness. Every other mainstream and flagship phone scratches at a level 6 with deeper grooves at a level 7. I can’t imagine Apple will release a fragile inner display with a crease requiring a plastic screen protector prone to fingernail scratches. This is the harsh reality is even after 7 hardware iterations of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. Impressive and thin, but with an achilles heel.
Apple waits for technology to be set to a standard that meets their ethos before jumping in. It would be spitting in the face of Steve Jobs if they released a device with a plastic screen protector after he famously ordered a massive shift from plastic to glass in iPhone production the minute he noticed scratches on the display. Hopefully Apple’s continued investment in Corning will mitigate this issue and they have something up their sleeve that will wow us.
I’m also worried about the software experience, especially if we have the iPad to judge by. Having too many options for window layouts and multitasking would be cumbersome on a smaller screen, and hopefully Apple takes a play out of their playbook to make the software fun, simple, and intuitive. When iPhone X was released, it was a huge shift in usability with the removal of the Home Button, but it was once again fun, simple, and intuitive. Dynamic Island was also a new innovation at a smaller scale and followed the playbook, being a useful tool that I miss every time I go back to a notched iPhone.
Now what is my definition of success in this specific case? It’s not record sales numbers, but the ability to execute and make an experience that changes the game. I consider iPhone Air to be a success, because it shows you can make a durable and thin device that lasts all day at scale, something not possible a few years ago. A foldable phone doesn’t have to deliver on all technological fronts with the best cameras and the best battery life, but it needs to be durable like a regular phone, and it needs to have a software experience that makes sense and would make people jump at the opportunity.