{"id":23203,"date":"2026-09-08T21:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T20:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/?p=23203"},"modified":"2026-09-09T00:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T23:09:20","slug":"apples-foldable-reveal-tomorrow-has-been-10-years-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/08\/apples-foldable-reveal-tomorrow-has-been-10-years-in-the-making\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple’s Foldable Reveal Tomorrow Has Been 10 Years in the Making."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years, the foldable iPhone has felt like one of those products that Apple was always<\/em> working on, but never quite ready to show us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, just one day before Apple is expected to finally unveil it, Mark Gurman has revealed<\/a> just how long that journey has actually been …<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

An iPhone<\/strong>, a decade in the making.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Gurman\u2019s latest reporting, Apple\u2019s hardware teams were researching foldable displays, hinges and related technology well before Samsung helped turn the category into a mainstream conversation<\/a> with the Galaxy Fold<\/a> in 2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the project apparently changed direction in a significant way around 2020<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Cook returned from a trip to Asia having seen foldable phones becoming increasingly common in the region. He came away convinced that Apple needed to be part of the category \u2014 and pushed the project forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Verge<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That is particularly interesting because Apple\u2019s foldable project wasn\u2019t always an iPhone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the earliest concepts was reportedly closer to an iPad mini<\/a> that could fold out into a larger tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Apple decided that the more compelling opportunity <\/em>was a foldable iPhone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, after years of prototypes, engineering challenges and design debates, we\u2019re apparently less than 24 hours away from seeing the result<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just another iPhone<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gurman describes the foldable as potentially the biggest single design change in the nearly 20-year history of the iPhone<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That feels significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple has changed the iPhone dramatically over the years \u2014 from the original 3.5-inch display, to Retina, to larger screens, Face ID, Dynamic Island and the removal of the Home button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the fundamental idea has remained the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s still a rectangular slab that you carry around in your pocket<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foldable<\/strong> changes that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Instagram<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Apple is reportedly working towards a roughly 7.8-inch internal display<\/strong> and a much smaller 5.5-inch outer display<\/strong>, with the folded device designed to be around the size of a passport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfold it, and the proportions apparently resemble an Apple Magic Trackpad<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a very different iPhone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps more importantly, it\u2019s a very different way of using one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Apple has spent years solving the annoying stuff<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most interesting part of Gurman\u2019s reporting isn\u2019t necessarily the screen size or even the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple reportedly spent years tackling four major problems: the crease, the hinge, flexible cover glass and fitting camera components into the device<\/a> without sacrificing too much of the display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Early prototypes for Apple’s foldable reportedly struggled
with a creaseless hinge –  Tom’s Guide \/ Future<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The result is said to be a titanium-and-aluminium hinge system paired with custom cover glass developed with Corning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple\u2019s goal isn\u2019t simply to make a phone that folds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s to make a foldable that feels like an Apple product<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an important distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has had the opportunity to watch Samsung, Google and other manufacturers spend years figuring out what works \u2014 and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple\u2019s advantage may be that it has been able to wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s the price<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where things get particularly interesting<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foldable was reportedly once targeted at $1,999<\/strong>, deliberately staying just below the psychological $2,000<\/strong> barrier<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, Apple has apparently discussed pricing it as high as $2,199<\/strong>, with higher-storage versions potentially approaching $3,000<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an extraordinary amount of money for an iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
AppleHub<\/a> (Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s also worth remembering that Apple has spent years moving the iPhone further into the premium market. The company\u2019s Pro models can already approach $2,000<\/strong> with higher storage configurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foldable simply takes that strategy to its logical extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple isn\u2019t trying to make the cheapest foldable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s trying to make the<\/em> foldable iPhone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The timing couldn\u2019t be more interesting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s John Ternus<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow\u2019s unveiling won\u2019t just introduce Apple\u2019s first foldable iPhone. It will also effectively introduce Ternus as the person now responsible for Apple\u2019s next generation of products<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gurman\u2019s reporting suggests the foldable has become a particularly important showcase for him<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s fitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO (L) and @iJustine<\/a> (R) at Ted Lasso premiere – Google<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ternus spent years overseeing Apple\u2019s hardware engineering organisation. Now, just days into his tenure as CEO,<\/a> he is apparently about to stand on stage<\/a> and unveil one of the most complicated pieces of hardware Apple has ever produced<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Cook<\/a> helped push the project forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan Riccio<\/a> oversaw much of its early development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ternus<\/a> helped push it over the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And tomorrow<\/strong>, we\u2019ll finally see what all those years of work produced<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ten years for this moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps that\u2019s the most fascinating thing about the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve spent years talking about Apple\u2019s foldable as if it were something that might happen eventually<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Apple<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now we know that Apple wasn\u2019t simply waiting around to see whether foldables would become popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was working on the technology long before we knew exactly what the finished product would look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company reportedly considered an iPad-like concept,<\/a> wrestled with hinges and creases<\/a>, redesigned its approach, changed the proportions and spent years waiting for the technology to reach the point where it could meet Apple\u2019s exacting high standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, all of that disappears behind a black curtain and an Apple logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

After a decade of waiting, the question isn\u2019t really: \u201cWill Apple make a foldable iPhone?\u201d<\/em> anymore<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s: “Was Apple\u2019s decade-long wait worth it?<\/em><\/mark><\/strong> “<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For years, the foldable iPhone has felt like one of those products that Apple was always working on, but never quite ready to show us. Now, just one day before Apple is expected to finally unveil it, Mark Gurman has revealed just how long that journey has actually been …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2786,174,800,16],"tags":[4,934,3597,3598,3595,3599,3501,3581,3541,3567,3537,2599,3596,3568],"class_list":["post-23203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple-blog","category-blog","category-featured","category-iphone","tag-apple","tag-apple-event","tag-crease","tag-creaseless","tag-foldable","tag-hinge","tag-iphone","tag-iphone-duo","tag-iphone-fold","tag-iphone-ultra","tag-john-ternus","tag-price","tag-reveal","tag-sep-9"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23203"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23234,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23203\/revisions\/23234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arronhirst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}