Around 2020, following a business trip through Asia, then-Apple CEO Tim Cook returned with an unusually strong conviction about a fresh product category: foldable smartphones. During his travels across other parts of Asia, he observed a growing number of consumers using foldable devices from manufacturers like Samsung Electronics. Once back in the United States, he became convinced that Apple needed its own foldable phone and urged the company to accelerate its research and development in that area.
At the time, foldable phones were still a nascent market. In fact, a highly secretive core technology development team under Apple's hardware engineering division had already spent years studying foldable screens, displays, and related components. The new foldable iPhone design will broadly resemble Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold8. According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple's exploration of foldable technology may go back even further, predating Samsung's inaugural Galaxy Fold in 2019, which brought the category into the mainstream. Most of the people interviewed for this story requested anonymity because the work is confidential.
A decisive moment for the project arrives on Wednesday, when Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable phone. This device will represent the most substantial single design shift for the iPhone in nearly two decades. The iPhone currently accounts for roughly half of Apple's total revenue. The launch will also serve, in a sense, as the debut for the new CEO, John Ternus, who took over on September 1. The company timed this leadership transition to herald a new era for its products and to allow Ternus to personally introduce the foldable device. Cook, now serving as executive chairman, will observe from the audience.
Achieving this milestone required years of trial and error in product development. Before Cook made the project a top priority, engineers, designers, and executives had long debated what form an Apple foldable device should take. One of the earliest concepts was essentially an iPad mini that could expand into a larger tablet. Cook's enthusiasm steered the initiative toward a product with greater mainstream potential. Rather than pursuing a foldable iPad, Apple shifted its focus to creating a foldable iPhone. "Tim was the earliest and most committed supporter of this project," one insider explained. "He saw people using foldables everywhere in Asia and decided Apple had to be in this space." An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
Cook's level of engagement stands out as particularly noteworthy. Throughout his tenure as CEO, he was best known for overseeing the company's finances and supply chain. While he participated in product demos and major decisions, he typically did not immerse himself in the initial concept and creative development of new products.
Comments