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
如果你一直在等蘋果公司。”根據一份新的供應鏈報告，（納斯達克股票代碼：AAPL）的可摺疊iPhone，你必須再耐心一點。
發生了什麼：根據韓國出版物《阿爾法經濟》的一份報告，蘋果的可摺疊iPhone將在兩年多後的2026年推出。
蘋果已將2026年9月定爲可摺疊iPhone的發佈日期。先前的一份報告表明，可摺疊iPhone不會在2025年之前推出，但沒有確切說明何時推出。我們現在有更多這方面的信息。
蘋果已經向美國專利商標局（USPTO）申請了可捲曲iPhone的專利。專利申請表明，iPhone可以捲起來——毫不誇張地說，就像一部古老的卷軸和手稿一樣。
儘管這可能看起來相去甚遠，而且可能在遙遠的將來發生，但它可能是蘋果保護其想法的一種方式。但是，不僅如此，這表明蘋果正在積極考慮可摺疊顯示器技術。
值得注意的是，可摺疊顯示器並不完全是虛構的。LG已經有一臺可摺疊電視了，我們已經在1月份的CES 2024上看到了另一臺大規模的可摺疊電視的推出。
但是，電視與手機不同——手機必須在大約手掌大小的設備中容納大量組件，例如芯片組、電池、攝像頭、存儲等，而電視的畫布要大得多。
爲何重要：蘋果的競爭對手 Alphabet Inc.”s（納斯達克股票代碼：GOOG）（納斯達克股票代碼：GOOGL）谷歌和三星電子有限公司（OTCPK：SSNLF）已經推出了可摺疊手機。
實際上，三星已經推出了五代可摺疊手機。到蘋果可摺疊iPhone預計推出時，三星已經推出八代Galaxy Fold和Flip手機。
庫比蒂諾在2026年推出可摺疊iPhone是太少還是太晚了？先前的一份報告顯示，可摺疊手機僅佔全球所有智能手機的1％，因此該市場仍處於起步階段，蘋果可能仍有足夠的時間。
通過以下方式查看 Benzinga 的更多消費科技報道 點擊這個鏈接。
照片由泰阮在 Unsplash 上拍攝
