Adam Kos Although Android phone makers are increasingly introducing their flexible devices, which are also launching in more markets outside of its usual home of China, Apple is still waiting. The clear leader in this area is the South Korean Samsung, and they are impatiently waiting to see the light of day and the flexible iPhone. But there will still be a wait, and it's actually logical.
Although foldable phones have been on the market for several years, and after all, Samsung is scheduled to release the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip in their 5th generation this year, we have yet to see a flexible iPhone. After Samsung presented its solution as the first usable one, and other manufacturers are also making appropriate efforts in this area, Apple actually has nowhere to go. We know that it will not be the first and that it will not establish a segment, as was the case with the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or AirPods, because the competition actually shows that their devices are more than capable. But how are they really doing?
Samsung puzzles
We will be waiting years for the first flexible iPhone
It can simply be said that the supply of jigsaws is nowhere near the sales of traditional smartphones. Latest news from IDC it mentions their current sales as well as a trend that counts until 2027. And even if the jigsaw segment does grow, it will grow so slowly that it still doesn't make sense for Apple to enter it - and that's why. Why try, when the American company is going for profits, which the flexible equipment will not bring significantly from the beginning. Instead, it can just keep focusing on the classic and still extremely popular iPhones and fork over the dollars from their profits.
So, the new IDC report specifically states that 2022 million foldable phones will be sold in 14,2, accounting for 1,2% of total smartphone sales. This year, it should be almost twice as much, not only because of increasing production, but also because of demand. But some 21,4 million is still not enough considering the whole and the fact that this number is spread among several sellers (Samsung will logically take the most).
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Vratislav Holub IDC also predicts that foldable phones will reach 2027% of the smartphone market share by 3,5, which is still really low, even though sales are expected to reach around 48 million units. There is no doubt that this "sub-segment" will grow, and that sales of classic smartphones will continue to decline, but it is still too little for even Apple to speak to the market in the foreseeable future. So if you're waiting for the first Apple puzzle, it's quite possible that you'll be waiting for another 5 years.
The title of the article is nonsense. Apple can't wait to launch a flexible iPhone. After all, he has to introduce it himself.