In a recent interview, Apple's new CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak detailed the company's long-awaited foldable iPhone, explaining the reasons behind its delayed release, the design philosophy, and how the team fiercely guarded the iPhone Duo project's secrecy. Ternus noted that the product's launch timing always depends on whether the concept can meet Apple's rigorous standards for quality, durability, and design, calling the device "a brand-new field for us, allowing us to rethink countless details."
Joswiak said Apple carefully studied competing foldable devices on the market and concluded that existing solutions "lack design innovation." He explained that Apple's approach was twofold—which isn't a pun. First, Apple adopted a 1:1.4 wide-screen aspect ratio, completely abandoning the awkward form factor of two phones merely hinged together. Second, the team deeply reengineered the software system to deliver an iPhone Duo experience unlike any foldable currently available.
When discussing the foldable's internal display, Ternus revealed that the screen's surface layer uses a high-molecular polymer rather than glass, prompting Apple to develop a brand-new process to achieve a nano-texture coating. He openly criticized competitors, saying their screens are "just cheap plastic surfaces with rough textures, prone to rippling and wrinkling issues." He added, "Our nano-texture process perfectly solves these flaws. The screen is flat, smooth, and comfortable to the touch, offering significantly improved durability."
Joswiak expressed pride in the project's secrecy, stating, "We implemented multiple layers of security and remained completely tight-lipped throughout. We even assigned a ridiculous, unrelated codename that I can't share here. We locked down security because the outside world already knew from leaks that we were working on a foldable phone."
Joswiak admitted that tipsters had correctly guessed the screen aspect ratio. "Several manufacturers have coincidentally focused on this same ratio. After that, we were determined to seal off the project completely, and in the end, our security efforts paid off." Regarding the starting price of $1,999 (15999 yuan for the domestic version), Ternus acknowledged, "This model is indeed priced higher than other phones, but we believe it is worth it." Joswiak added, "This product is called iPhone Duo for a reason—it's essentially two devices combined into one."
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