Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo: Magical or a sham?
Apple’s new CEO pulls a foldable out of his hat in his first keynote. But it won’t be this easy for him going forward. An analysis.
John Ternus in front of the first foldable iPhone: Magical or is a sham looming?
(Image: Apple / Bearbeitung: heise medien)
One concern the new CEO of Apple was able to dismiss on day 9 of his tenure: His first big thing didn’t take long to arrive. At least at first glance. The Apple foldable iPhone Duo is the most different iPhone since the first device in 2007. John Ternus, as the former head of hardware, even co-created it himself. The fact that he could present it in his debut keynote can safely be considered a gift, paving the way from his predecessor Tim Cook, who handed over to his successor with a cameo appearance in the big promotional film. Cook himself had to endure quite a bit after his debut in 2011 due to the long waiting time from journalists, analysts, and Apple customers. The curse of the lack of his first major innovation of his tenure was only broken with the Apple Watch in 2015.
However, Ternus has inherited another problem – and at least at the start, he couldn’t make it forgotten: In recent years, Apple has increasingly given the impression that those responsible are not their own best customers. The ease with which Ternus now used the magic three words “one more thing” couldn’t change much about that.
The magic of former days
The magic of the often-cited first product presentations of the iPhone, iPad, and some Macs was also that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs conveyed the feeling that he himself used this product intensively. You believed Jobs that he wanted to bring the iPhone into the world primarily because, like many of his customers, he was tired of the many unsuccessful devices from other manufacturers. The iPhone was not only intended to fill Apple’s coffers but also to make the tech world better.
Tim Cook hasn’t always succeeded in this during his years as CEO. Although he claimed to be a heavy user of the Apple Vision Pro himself. But only a few really believed him. The entry into spatial computing seemed more like a strategic decision because Apple’s competitors were starting to occupy the field. And fittingly, there was also a lack of emphasis: Immersive content was delivered late, and not all system apps are yet Vision Pro-native. A clear commitment looks different.
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Tim Cook’s Recipe for Success
What Cook could do, however: read numbers and take care of product maintenance – that reliably brought Apple record numbers. Especially internally, in Apple’s logistics, he has earned a place in the history books: The interplay of suppliers, manufacturing, and distribution is anything but trivial – especially when we are talking about a product in demand by millions like the iPhone. And under Cook’s leadership, new variations of the iPhone were always launched: large (Plus), small (Mini), or light (Air) – Apple reliably delivered new attractions, even though the smartphone was considered quite fully developed by many. Not everything stayed on the market, but it at least served the purpose of giving the iPhone’s evolution a small “aha” effect and securing the number of device sales.
Now Ternus and the first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. It made, if you looked at the reactions online, at least immediately after the presentation, people forget that the progress on the iPhone 18 Pro (Max) and Apple Watches in the 2026 model year is rather sparse. But the Duo shares the fate of other recent products: aesthetically and technically impressive, but at the moment, one still lacks the imagination that everyone will want it in the future. And those who have experienced Ternus personally attribute significantly more persuasive power to him than he showed in a debut appearance.
Entry into a (further) difficult market
The iPhone Duo will have to prove whether it is truly magical or turns out to be a false magic for Apple. According to market researchers, foldables represent only a single-digit percentage of the entire smartphone market, even though other manufacturers have been building them for years and have brought them to a solid level of quality. With a starting price of almost 2300 euros, the Duo is not a device that buyers will try out lightly, but a smartphone for convinced early adopters. Apple wants to score points here with stability, quality, and a well-thought-out software concept. The animation when folding the Duo is an optical highlight in itself, but it was precisely with this mixture that the company wanted to shine against the plastic bombers of mixed-reality competition three years ago. Ultimately, success or failure will depend on whether the device truly offers added value for buyers in everyday life.
The new Apple CEO, Ternus, at least has an ace up his sleeve with the early presentation of his first big thing. If Apple sustainably shakes up the foldable market with it, he can declare it his success – after all, he even helped build it. If, on the other hand, the iPhone Duo only provides a brief “aha” moment and then shares the fate of the Vision Pro, it can be attributed to Apple as Cook’s last product decision. He is so un-vain that he would go along with it in the service of the cause as the new Executive Chairman for his Apple.
In search of new “aha” moments
John Ternus’s first iPhone keynote was intended to look deliberately different – that was evident in many details of the video – but it naturally still bore the unmistakable hallmark of his predecessor. AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, the new Pro iPhones – they are all solid product maintenance and will reliably continue to generate revenue. But that cannot satisfy Apple in the long run. New revolutions are needed; otherwise, in the worst case, they will come from others. The only real “aha” moment on Wednesday evening was the iPhone Duo. Ternus can look back on great successes as head of hardware, which is why he became CEO. Resting on his laurels – that became very clear on Wednesday evening – is not an option for him.
(mki)
