I’ve no interest in a phone that folds. It’s just going to be thicker, and more fragile. Give me an external swappble battery and hardware cutoff switches for wireless and camera. A microSD slot. And ffs, the ability to have both my owned music files and Apple Music files on my phone at the same time (seriously, wtf, not everything is on Apple Music—is there a way?!)
If the foldable screen could be more robust, and the fold could be truly invisible when unfolded, I could see it being useful for some people as a phone-tablet hybrid.
Unfortunately features like hardware kill switches will probably always be too niche for a mainstream flagship.
Foldable displays are still relatively new technology and they have their downsides. People these days are very unforgiving of early tech. Everything has to be just be perfect from version 1 for people complain, but that’s not possible. You can’t perfect a product in isolation, you have to have earlier versions on the market to be able to find where the problems are.
I just don’t listen to them.
If the Model One Ford came out these days they’d complain it was too slow.
Whenever my upgrade window comes around, I ponder getting a folding phone. But two things stop me.
Firstly, they all run Android, and having been on iOS since 2009 I have very little ambition to switch.
Secondly, as it stands, it’s a point of failure that will massively impact its resale value when I upgrade. It’s bad enough trying to sell a phone with a two or three year old battery, but batteries can (in general) be replaced. Now imagine trying to sell a phone that has three years worth of screen wear on it, knowing that it could fracture at any moment.
So in the end, cool as they are, they’re also pretty handy to the manufacturers as offering a point of failure that’ll make them unsellable.
I have a friend with a foldable phone and it works wrt screen. The thing I can’t get over is the thickness because it seems too thick for a back pocket.
I personally believe it’s not supposed to be pocketed but to be backpacked. They’re trying to encourage less phone usage, you should use your watch for immediate notifications and only get your phone out to use it for taking a picture, drawing something with the apple pencil or another task that requires a phone. Most everything else should be done by the watch though.
I think it started with females who had small front pockets, so the back pocket or placing it in the bra was the only choice. I remember everyone claiming rumours that phone vibrations could cause breast cancer so the butt pocket seemed like a better choice.
In regards to your sitting question, I imagine a few people have sat on it by accident, as long as you don’t have an obscenely large phone it shouldn’t cause any issues.
Here’s the problem with the watch alone - folks like me who can’t see well up close (even with the larger font settings on the phone and the ‘zoom’ accessibility feature is…confusing?) and need glasses but either don’t have them or can’t find them in the time it takes for the notification to disappear. By that point, I may as well just use the phone.
When my glasses are handy, I do agree that the watch is a good use for this. Additionally however, my phone case is also my physical wallet with ID and a couple of credit cards. I understand that with Apple Wallet, these physical items are increasingly being able to be replaced by using the watch interface, but not always.
I get those are just a couple of examples using small anecdotes, but just my .02. If Apple could figure out a better way to make the Watch easier to see for people like me without requiring glasses, that would be ideal. Or if I could figure out why I can’t seem to use the Accessibility feature correctly, if that is the problem as well. I’ll work with it some more.
I think the biggest issue with that direction of technology is that pretty much every Android smart watch sucks. There isn’t anything in the Android ecosystem that’s comparable to the apple watch.
I agree, I think someone that’s into minimalism and sees the appeal of an iPad or an iPhone, would be happier to choose this, especially if it shares features like apple pencil support. If there isn’t apple pencil support then I’ll be upset.
Agreed. Being able to fold the device is popular because of the novelty but I argue they’re overall objectively worse devices than non-folding one with the same price and form factor would be. I’ll much rather have a flat slab in my pocket than a compact cube. There’s not a chance a folding device will withstand daily use for 6+ years.
The one I have has really come a long way. I’m using it without a case. I’ve dropped it several times from a decent height. I was using it’s light at work to show a hole in a wall to my coworker and he jammed a blunt piece of steel into its exterior screen with serious force. Not a scratch.
Because it’s more than just hosting them. Look I’m not a salesperson nor a fanboy. But years ago before I was into self hosting I was very happy to pay $15CAD/year for iTunes to host my obscure music and integrate it seamlessly with Apple Music. AFAIK there are no similar competing products.
It’s been a while since I tried, but can’t you also sync your Music album locally still as well? Exactly the same as with an iPod. I know you still can with iPods, because I still use my iPod and sync it that way. But my phones have synced with Apple Music for as long as AM has existed.
Literally writing from a folding phone right now. It’s so much smaller than any other phone I have had and actually fits in my pockets, and something about the center of gravity is so much easier, it never falls out of my jacket pocket like my old phones used to.
Are you an Apple User? There is a Samsung phone with swappable batteries, and you’d have control over your files. Why are you using Apple products?
I’ve no interest in a phone that folds. It’s just going to be thicker, and more fragile. Give me an external swappble battery and hardware cutoff switches for wireless and camera. A microSD slot. And ffs, the ability to have both my owned music files and Apple Music files on my phone at the same time (seriously, wtf, not everything is on Apple Music—is there a way?!)
If the foldable screen could be more robust, and the fold could be truly invisible when unfolded, I could see it being useful for some people as a phone-tablet hybrid.
Unfortunately features like hardware kill switches will probably always be too niche for a mainstream flagship.
I don’t understand why there’s a lot of hate here for a product people don’t have to buy lol. I think foldable phones are neat.
Foldable displays are still relatively new technology and they have their downsides. People these days are very unforgiving of early tech. Everything has to be just be perfect from version 1 for people complain, but that’s not possible. You can’t perfect a product in isolation, you have to have earlier versions on the market to be able to find where the problems are.
I just don’t listen to them.
If the Model One Ford came out these days they’d complain it was too slow.
Whenever my upgrade window comes around, I ponder getting a folding phone. But two things stop me.
Firstly, they all run Android, and having been on iOS since 2009 I have very little ambition to switch.
Secondly, as it stands, it’s a point of failure that will massively impact its resale value when I upgrade. It’s bad enough trying to sell a phone with a two or three year old battery, but batteries can (in general) be replaced. Now imagine trying to sell a phone that has three years worth of screen wear on it, knowing that it could fracture at any moment.
So in the end, cool as they are, they’re also pretty handy to the manufacturers as offering a point of failure that’ll make them unsellable.
I have a friend with a foldable phone and it works wrt screen. The thing I can’t get over is the thickness because it seems too thick for a back pocket.
I personally believe it’s not supposed to be pocketed but to be backpacked. They’re trying to encourage less phone usage, you should use your watch for immediate notifications and only get your phone out to use it for taking a picture, drawing something with the apple pencil or another task that requires a phone. Most everything else should be done by the watch though.
I have one and it fits in my front pockets. I have never put my phone in my back pocket. Why would I? How would you sit down lol
Some people like to put it in their back Pocket
Do they take it out whenever they want to sit down? it just seems a bit uncomfortable
I think it started with females who had small front pockets, so the back pocket or placing it in the bra was the only choice. I remember everyone claiming rumours that phone vibrations could cause breast cancer so the butt pocket seemed like a better choice.
In regards to your sitting question, I imagine a few people have sat on it by accident, as long as you don’t have an obscenely large phone it shouldn’t cause any issues.
Here’s the problem with the watch alone - folks like me who can’t see well up close (even with the larger font settings on the phone and the ‘zoom’ accessibility feature is…confusing?) and need glasses but either don’t have them or can’t find them in the time it takes for the notification to disappear. By that point, I may as well just use the phone.
When my glasses are handy, I do agree that the watch is a good use for this. Additionally however, my phone case is also my physical wallet with ID and a couple of credit cards. I understand that with Apple Wallet, these physical items are increasingly being able to be replaced by using the watch interface, but not always.
I get those are just a couple of examples using small anecdotes, but just my .02. If Apple could figure out a better way to make the Watch easier to see for people like me without requiring glasses, that would be ideal. Or if I could figure out why I can’t seem to use the Accessibility feature correctly, if that is the problem as well. I’ll work with it some more.
Surely the best option is voiceover for key notifications on the watch?
Situation-dependent but sometimes, yes.
I think the biggest issue with that direction of technology is that pretty much every Android smart watch sucks. There isn’t anything in the Android ecosystem that’s comparable to the apple watch.
So? What does that have to do with Apple pushing this philosophy? It’s not their fault there isn’t an equivalent in the Android world.
Eh? I never said there was. I merely pointing out that it’s not a direction that the phone market in general is moving.
I didn’t say this was the direction the phone market was moving though. I stated this is how their devices are supposed to be used.
I agree, I think someone that’s into minimalism and sees the appeal of an iPad or an iPhone, would be happier to choose this, especially if it shares features like apple pencil support. If there isn’t apple pencil support then I’ll be upset.
Also you’re clearly not apple’s target market so you being frustrated by their choices is negligible to them.
I haven’t tried for a while but I’m pretty sure you can store your own music files on all Apple devices and listen to them via Apple Music.
deleted by creator
I definitely have tracks that belong to me, that don’t even exist on Apple Music, on my phone with an Apple Music subscription.
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
Agreed. Being able to fold the device is popular because of the novelty but I argue they’re overall objectively worse devices than non-folding one with the same price and form factor would be. I’ll much rather have a flat slab in my pocket than a compact cube. There’s not a chance a folding device will withstand daily use for 6+ years.
The one I have has really come a long way. I’m using it without a case. I’ve dropped it several times from a decent height. I was using it’s light at work to show a hole in a wall to my coworker and he jammed a blunt piece of steel into its exterior screen with serious force. Not a scratch.
What phone is this?
Samsung z flip 5.
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/108935
Lol, why is that another paid service?
Because they are hosting those files for you.
And why is it a separate service from iCloud?
Because it’s more than just hosting them. Look I’m not a salesperson nor a fanboy. But years ago before I was into self hosting I was very happy to pay $15CAD/year for iTunes to host my obscure music and integrate it seamlessly with Apple Music. AFAIK there are no similar competing products.
If you’re not interested then don’t use it!
It’s been a while since I tried, but can’t you also sync your Music album locally still as well? Exactly the same as with an iPod. I know you still can with iPods, because I still use my iPod and sync it that way. But my phones have synced with Apple Music for as long as AM has existed.
I won’t, but I will still mock it.
The only way flagship phones will ever get swappable batteries is if the EU mandates that.
Sad, but true.
Then you’re not looking for an iPhone. They don’t care about you, they are after the common denominator.
Literally writing from a folding phone right now. It’s so much smaller than any other phone I have had and actually fits in my pockets, and something about the center of gravity is so much easier, it never falls out of my jacket pocket like my old phones used to.
Are you an Apple User? There is a Samsung phone with swappable batteries, and you’d have control over your files. Why are you using Apple products?
I am on Apple. I have control of my files using the Files app, built into iOS for years now.
I use iOS because I don’t use anything Google makes, or has a hand in, or benefits from. It’s a personal choice.
I would love more mobile options.
Have you looked into stuff like this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PinePhone_Pro
Yeah, I know about most of the alternatives. It’s a cool project, but not really a viable option.
Really, my issue is with the current state of consumer electronics in general.