Apple explains why it waited 7 years to enter foldables
John Ternus and Greg Joswiak explain the thinking behind Apple's first foldable, and Ternus's first week as CEO
If you've wondered why Apple sat out the foldable race for seven years while Samsung built an entire product line, the company's own explanation comes down to patience, not hesitation.
When speaking with Tom’s Guide and TechRadar, the newly appointed CEO John Ternus stated that “Apple would never do anything unless all three criteria – quality, robustness, and design – meet our standards.” Referring to the Duo as an instance of how hardware and software join to produce something exceptional.
He emphasised that the form factor represented a kind of empty space, which was not conquered by Apple before, allowing the team to reconsider such issues as hinge design, software behaviour, and display engineering.
Here's something you won't get from the keynote alone: reviewers who've had hands-on time say the Duo's crease is barely visible, largely thanks to Apple's nano-texture display finish.
That technology first showed up on the Mac Studio Display before making its way to the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, and it's now doing double duty softening the visual line where the screen folds.
Joswiak wasn't shy about explaining what pushed Apple to act. He described existing foldables as cheap-feeling, with plastic surfaces that come across wavy and wrinkly rather than premium, and Apple's own reporting suggests the company has been quietly working with developers to optimise apps for the Duo's unfolded screen, addressing a fragmentation problem you'll still find on Android foldables today, where apps like Slack or Instagram often just look stretched rather than redesigned.
Ternus on his first week as CEO
You also get a rare personal moment in the interview. Asked about learning he'd become CEO, Ternus said simply, "I love this place; it's in my blood," reflecting on 25 years at Apple before stepping into the role.
