If you have been waiting for Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) foldable iPhone, you will have to be a little more patient, according to a new supply chain report.
What Happened: Apple's foldable iPhone will launch in 2026, more than two years from now, according to a report by Korean publication Alpha Economy.
Apple has fixed September 2026 as the launch date for the foldable iPhone. A previous report suggested that the foldable iPhone would not launch any sooner than 2025, but it did not say precisely when it will be launched. We now have more information in that regard.
Apple has already filed a patent for a rollable iPhone with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent filing shows that the iPhone could be rolled up – quite literally, like an ancient scroll and manuscript.
While that might seem like a far cry and something that could happen in the distant future, it could be a way for Apple to protect its ideas. However, more than that, it suggests that Apple is actively thinking about foldable display technology.
It is worth noting that foldable displays are not entirely fictional. LG already has one, and we've seen another massive foldable TV launch at CES 2024 in January.
However, TVs are different from phones – phones have to house a myriad of components like the chipset, battery, cameras, storage and more in a device that is about the size of a palm, while TVs have a much bigger canvas.
Why It Matters: Apple's rivals Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. (OTCPK: SSNLF) already have foldable phones.
In fact, Samsung has already launched five generations of foldable phones. By the time Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to launch, Samsung would have launched eight generations of its Galaxy Fold and Flip phones.
Would it be too little or too late for Cupertino to launch the foldable iPhone in 2026? A previous report revealed that foldable phones comprise only 1% of all smartphones globally, so this market is still in its infancy and Apple still might have enough time on its hands.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Photo by Thai Nguyen on Unsplash
如果你一直在等苹果公司。”根据一份新的供应链报告，（纳斯达克股票代码：AAPL）的可折叠iPhone，你必须再耐心一点。
发生了什么：根据韩国出版物《阿尔法经济》的一份报告，苹果的可折叠iPhone将在两年多后的2026年推出。
苹果已将2026年9月定为可折叠iPhone的发布日期。先前的一份报告表明，可折叠iPhone不会在2025年之前推出，但没有确切说明何时推出。我们现在有更多这方面的信息。
苹果已经向美国专利商标局（USPTO）申请了可卷曲iPhone的专利。专利申请表明，iPhone可以卷起来——毫不夸张地说，就像一部古老的卷轴和手稿一样。
尽管这可能看起来相去甚远，而且可能在遥远的将来发生，但它可能是苹果保护其想法的一种方式。但是，不仅如此，这表明苹果正在积极考虑可折叠显示器技术。
值得注意的是，可折叠显示器并不完全是虚构的。LG已经有一台可折叠电视了，我们已经在1月份的CES 2024上看到了另一台大规模的可折叠电视的推出。
但是，电视与手机不同——手机必须在大约手掌大小的设备中容纳大量组件，例如芯片组、电池、摄像头、存储等，而电视的画布要大得多。
为何重要：苹果的竞争对手 Alphabet Inc.”s（纳斯达克股票代码：GOOG）（纳斯达克股票代码：GOOGL）谷歌和三星电子有限公司（OTCPK：SSNLF）已经推出了可折叠手机。
实际上，三星已经推出了五代可折叠手机。到苹果可折叠iPhone预计推出时，三星已经推出八代Galaxy Fold和Flip手机。
库比蒂诺在2026年推出可折叠iPhone是太少还是太晚了？先前的一份报告显示，可折叠手机仅占全球所有智能手机的1％，因此该市场仍处于起步阶段，苹果可能仍有足够的时间。
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照片由泰阮在 Unsplash 上拍摄
