Is Apple going to launch a foldable phone? That does appear to be the question of the day, week, month, and maybe the year.

Whatever Apple is working on, we at least know the company has considered the possibility before. But we also know that the company isn’t always all about being first to do something. That doesn’t stop it from becoming a market leader, though. Apple wasn’t first with a smartphone, but the iPhone changed the market. The same can be said with the iPad. And the Apple Watch. Apple Pay. Touch ID.

Apple has a precedent.

But that doesn’t stop folks from wanting things from Apple. That includes the company’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak. The Woz is featured in a Bloomberg report today, talking about things like foldable phones and Apple TV. We’ll kick things off here with the foldable phone comments.

For those who need a quick refresher: Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Fold, a $1,980 foldable phone that marks the company’s first effort with the design. Not long after, Huawei unveiled the Mate X, a $2,500 (!) foldable phone. TCL has foldable phones on the way. Motorola does, too (as it revitalizes the RAZR brand). LG is taking a wait-and-see approach.

So, it isn’t wrong to say that Apple is not leading the way on foldable phones. Woz is “worried” that Apple isn’t leading the way in this regard. But, for what it’s worth, it sounds more like Woz is worried because he just wants a foldable phone right now.

“‘Apple has been a leader for quite a long time in a few areas such as touch ID, facial ID, and easy payment with the phone,’ Wozniak said in a Bloomberg TV interview. ‘They’re not the leader in areas like the folding phone, and that worries me because I really want a folding phone.’”

What about Apple TV? Woz wants more from Apple’s set-top box, but, as it stands right now, he “prefers my Roku”. Still, Apple sees a bright future for Apple as it branches out to other categories beyond the iPhone.

“‘They just got so successful on the iPhone and that was their whole business for a long time,’ he said. ‘Now they’re branching out so a lot of their businesses have been very good.’”

Apple was just not ever going to be first in the foldable phone category, but that doesn’t mean the company won’t be the leader when/if it does jump on the bandwagon. We have seen concepts of a foldable iPhone and they look great. Let’s just hope when Apple does launch something like this, it doesn’t cost $3,000.

Are you hoping for an Apple-branded foldable phone?

[via Bloomberg]








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