If we did a retrospective of this year so far, certainly the releases of first foldable smartphones Samsung and Huawei (although they are not among us) would be highlighted among the biggest events in the world of technology. What was supposed to be the start of a new era has, however, become a failed launch, at least on the part of Samsung, which had to postpone the start of sales of the Galaxy Fold.
But that does not mean that consumers have minimized their desire for a folding device, as pointed out by a survey by the Swiss bank UBS, released by CNBC. When investigating users’ interest in these gadgets, it was found that more than a third of consumers interviewed would buy some foldable smartphone, with the iPhone among the most coveted brands.
Still according to the bank, Apple is working on gadgets foldable for some time; since 2017, some rumors have fanned that Apple was already developing foldable OLED screens. Still, UBS denotes that the first foldable from Apple will not be an iPhone, but an iPad, which could be launched as early as next year or, at most, in 2021.
Apple is constantly working on technology [para dispositivos dobráveis] and UBS believes an Apple folding product could be launched next year, although it says it is more likely in 2021.
That possibility was also speculated by analyst Jeff Lin of IHS Markit last month, when rumors revolved around a new foldable iPad with support for 5G networks.
Not surprisingly, most respondents cited price as the possible biggest obstacle to adopting a possible foldable iPhone. In that sense, users claimed that they are willing to spend a little more than the current line of iPhones for a folding device (about $ 600 more), but nothing like the $ 2,000 in the Galaxy Fold.
For those who find the idea of ​​a foldable iPhone unattainable, just remember that Apple acquired some patents related to flexible and even foldable devices, encouraging the creation of different concepts.
Whether it is just speculation or not, Apple will certainly learn from its own mistakes (and those of other manufacturers) before announcing the “next big thing”.
via iDownloadBlog
