John Ternus has entered his second week as Apple’s chief executive, and he has already taken a big gamble on a $1,999 folding iPhone called the Duo.
Ternus, who took over after Tim Cook stepped down, unveiled the device on Wednesday at Apple’s annual product release event. With a book-style format, the Duo is the largest iPhone ever made. It is also the most expensive, with US prices starting at $1,999 and rising to $3,200. UK prices start at £1,999.
The Duo’s design
When unfolded, the Duo looks like a small iPad. When folded in half, it looks like a wider iPhone. Ternus said the device was “inspired by the iPad” and called the folding features “fluid and completely intuitive.”
He also took a swipe at rivals. Other foldable phones on the market, he said, “feel like two phones stuck together… making a larger screen feel much smaller.” The Duo, he claimed, is the “result of a series of remarkable innovations that we think will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone.”
Ternus was directly involved in developing the foldable iPhone. He spent years as a top executive in Apple’s hardware division before being tapped as Cook’s successor earlier this year.
Ternus’s promotion timing
Ben Wood, chief analyst at FDM CCS Insight, said Ternus’s promotion was likely timed specifically “to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years.”
“Nothing happens by accident at Apple,” Wood added.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended the presentation, said the spotlight on Ternus made it feel “almost like he was a product himself.”
The pricing ladder
The Duo sits at the top of a new iPhone price structure. Here is how the lineup stacks up:
- iPhone 18 Pro — starting at $1,199 in the US
- iPhone 18 Pro Max — starting at $1,299 in the US
- Duo — starting at $1,999 in the US, up to $3,200
Previously, the highest starting price for a new iPhone was $900. The Duo more than doubles that.
Analyst warnings
Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester, warned: “The foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth.”
Chatterjee said the Duo could go the way of the Vision Pro headset, which Apple priced at $3,699 and has not been a hit with buyers. Or, he said, it could become the next Apple Watch — not as popular as the iPhone, but bought by millions each year.
The iPhone accounts for more than half of Apple’s sales every year. The company has boasted that the most recent version of the device became its most successful product launch.
The foldable market
Wood noted that foldable phones from Samsung and Huawei currently make up only 2% of smartphone sales. Even with Apple’s version driving interest, sales are only expected to reach 4% of the total market in the next decade, according to data and analytics firm FDM CCM Insight.
Milanesi said the learning curve is a real hurdle.
“Foldables are interesting devices,” she noted. “A lot of people are intrigued by it, but the software and the learning curve that you have from moving from a traditional phone to a foldable is real.”
Siri becomes Siri AI
Apple also revealed more about the relaunch of its assistant, now called Siri AI. Starting with the iPhone 18, the bot can go across a person’s messages and emails to find information, answer queries and take action on their behalf.
Some Siri AI features will also come to the new Apple Watch, including the ability to take notes of conversations and transcribe them, if the wearer enables the feature.
Privacy promises
Ternus called the new AI-enabled capabilities an “intelligent personal hub” and admitted Apple would use “the most private details of your daily life.” He insisted everything will remain private, with AI features often running “on device” — not through third-party companies. When a third party is required, he said data stays private in a remote server, or cloud.
“Others see that data as something to collect and store,” Ternus said. “Here, not even Apple can access what’s yours.”
What happens next
The foldable had been in development inside Apple for several years. It is now the company’s biggest bet under new leadership. Whether it redefines the foldable market or becomes an expensive ornament, the next few quarters will tell.
Ternus has promised a redefined experience. The market will decide if that promise holds.
Source: bbc.co.uk
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