A popular Apple insider has been talking about the design of the iPhone Fold.
The comments seem to juxtapose one another, so what exactly can we expect?
If poorly-kept secrets won prizes, the iPhone Fold would have more gold than Usain Bolt. Rumoured for years, it now looks likely that the brand will unveil its first foldable phone later this year.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman suggested that the design of the new model is "going to be the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
But he also goes on to say that it's "basically a copy of what other phone makers have been doing for years."
If that feels like a juxtaposition, it's because it kind of is. I get what Gurman is getting at – the iPhone has never even existed in this form factor and, as such, it will be the most significant design change.
But that doesn't mean it's going to do anything dramatic in the context of the wider industry. In fact, from the sounds of it, the design might even borrow from existing big players like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Honor Magic V5 which is ironic given how the industry has so closely followed Apple's lead for years.
Historically, it hasn't been uncommon for Apple to arrive later than competitors into an industry, but this does feel unusually distant. Other brands are more than five generations into their offering, and have been able to refine the experience over that time.
It will be interesting to see how the brand styles that out in its marketing material. It's also going to need to pack in a world-beating spec sheet in order to be given proper consideration among the rest of the market. Apple will be keen to avoid another situation like the Apple Vision Pro, which was marketed with lots of promise it never really delivered on in practice.
Gurman rounds off saying it could be an iPad replacement, and I do wonder if that's the marketing angle the brand will opt to use. It seems unlike them – historically Apple has been strong on its ecosystem and wanting all devices in all hands – but it seems the most likely option at this stage.
