It's certainly not as hideous as their taco folded first version. I don't know, but I think it has some merit for some folks, but only after all the kinks are worked out. None of these experimental folding products are proving to be very reliable or robust in actual use, but maybe this one will be better. The biggest use case I see for this particular product is for apps that can be run in half screen mode like shown in the picture, with the lower half used for user controls. Sitting in a conference room perusing your texts or emails, or playing simple games, may be okay on this device, like you'd do with a $50 Nintendo DS type of device. So basically I'm saying that Samsung has built a pretty great follow-up to the Nintendo DS and they'd probably fly off the shelves at a sub $100 price point. But at $1380, no way, with the possible exception of those who subscribe to folded-earth conspiracies.
Remember the outrage, disbelief, predictions of doom, cursing, etc. when the iPhone X was released starting at $999.00? Well, here we have a $1,400.00 phone and no one is raising an eyebrow.
Wow, I followed the link at the end of the article to observe that Samsung copied the Apple website design completely. It really must be easy to work there.
Except there's a cesspool of trackers and such on Samsung's site. Ghostery halted them for me, with the net effect that the site won't render... at all.
Remember the outrage, disbelief, predictions of doom, cursing, etc. when the iPhone X was released starting at $999.00? Well, here we have a $1,400.00 phone and no one is raising an eyebrow.
Yes, there is a bit of hypocrisy out there.
I think that one explanation is that even though many people will complain and whine about Apple's new phones, the looks, the features, the bump, the price etc., many people do actually want to buy one, even the serial whiners and complainers, so some people who can't afford it or think that it costs too much will be upset because they do actually want one.
On the other hand, not many people are genuinely interested in this folding contraption and not many people are actually considering buying one, so people wouldn't be upset even if it costs $2000.00. It's obvious that this phone will not be a huge seller.
Please remind me,.. Uh, what problem does folding phones solve again??
For me, I wouldn’t mind a large phone screen on a phone that fits in my pocket easily. Without folding, that’s never going to happen.
I don’t see myself owning any non Apple phone any time soon, but if they can make this work (I have my doubts about Samsung’s ability here) well, I will be jealous...
Apple should come out and say “We really don’t see the point of a product like this, but IF it is a success we will, of course, release one. We don’t expect that to happen, though”.
That’s exactly the same as saying, “We have no idea what’s going on and what direction the market will take.”
The only pluses I see is 1) you wouldn't need to add an ugly case, or screen protector, as the screen is naturally protected when folded, although some may like external scratch protection. Also, 2) it stands up by itself. Both of these pluses are quite tiny, at least for me.
Ah, I remember not having to carry my phone around in a lint-filled case. And I like the idea of better pocket-ability. My XR is borderline too big in my pocket. But, I've tried Android and am not interested in trying it again.
Looks good to me. Not likely to buy one unless Apple does something really stupid like removing the only fricking port left on the phone in the next iteration.
Remember the outrage, disbelief, predictions of doom, cursing, etc. when the iPhone X was released starting at $999.00? Well, here we have a $1,400.00 phone and no one is raising an eyebrow.
It’s called “normalization.” Growing up in an era of high inflation I used to scoff at the notion that a loaf of bread would someday cost a buck. Now it’s not unusual to pay over $4.00 for a loaf of bread and nobody blinks. Remember when catching a public official in a lie was a huge scandal? Now we have public officials who have lied 16,241 times and nobody really cares. Whatever..., in a few years we’ll all be looking back with fond memories at the times when smartphones were less than $1500 and didn’t require a 60 month payment plan to obtain one.
I just don't get it, WHY? It looks like a normal size phone, but then it folds in half. So it's half the size and double the thickness. This is what you'll then be sticking in your pocket? So a phone that phones in half, which now costs a bunch more money and now has a crappy plastic screen? It's like taking a iPhone and just making it fold in half. Why would you do that? What benefit is there? You end up with a plastic screen with a bump in the middle.
Interesting that no media outlets have reported on the utter failure of the Galaxy Fold. It’s just been swept under the carpet.... could have something to do with Samsung’s advertising spend perhaps?
Remember the outrage, disbelief, predictions of doom, cursing, etc. when the iPhone X was released starting at $999.00? Well, here we have a $1,400.00 phone and no one is raising an eyebrow.
You are mixing two different concepts.
Long before the iPhone X, Android phone manufacturers had phones that blasted prices far higher than anything Apple had on the market and I'm not talking about the gem ladened designer phones.
They were phones with the very latest materials and technologies or expensive components. Just like the the Samsung folding phones.
They are not mass market devices.
As for the trend in pricing upwards on mass market phones, they are still high but even Apple has had to adjust its pricing downwards to maintain traction.
The arguments against the iPhone X pricing are applicable today and Apple has taken note.
The amount of people with 1,000 dollars of disposable income is less than the amount of people with 500 dollars of disposable income. Far less.
That doesn't mean you can't price as high as you want on certain models. Everybody does that and Apple was late to that party.
Huawei is reportedly shipping 100,000 of its foldable phones a month in China alone. It is not considered a 'volume' product and is very difficult to manufacture but I imagine the Samsung Galaxy Fold has performed equally well or better.
That is pretty good considering all the doubts about durability of folding phones.
Please remind me,.. Uh, what problem does folding phones solve again??
I have no interest in an Android phone, but I too would welcome an iPhone that fits better in the front pocket of my jeans. Foldable gives you the screen real estate you want, without walking around looking like you're 'someone of interest' to the police.
Please remind me,.. Uh, what problem does folding phones solve again??
I have no interest in an Android phone, but I too would welcome an iPhone that fits better in the front pocket of my jeans. Foldable gives you the screen real estate you want, without walking around looking like you're 'someone of interest' to the police.
With the advent of smartphones and tablets some users didn't need a PC for basic needs (content consumption, emails etc).
I wonder if a folding phone could have a similar effect on regular tablets if prices ever made them an affordable alternative?
Comments
I think that one explanation is that even though many people will complain and whine about Apple's new phones, the looks, the features, the bump, the price etc., many people do actually want to buy one, even the serial whiners and complainers, so some people who can't afford it or think that it costs too much will be upset because they do actually want one.
On the other hand, not many people are genuinely interested in this folding contraption and not many people are actually considering buying one, so people wouldn't be upset even if it costs $2000.00. It's obvious that this phone will not be a huge seller.
Please remind me,.. Uh, what problem does folding phones solve again??
I don’t see myself owning any non Apple phone any time soon, but if they can make this work (I have my doubts about Samsung’s ability here) well, I will be jealous...
No company will ever say that.
Long before the iPhone X, Android phone manufacturers had phones that blasted prices far higher than anything Apple had on the market and I'm not talking about the gem ladened designer phones.
They were phones with the very latest materials and technologies or expensive components. Just like the the Samsung folding phones.
They are not mass market devices.
As for the trend in pricing upwards on mass market phones, they are still high but even Apple has had to adjust its pricing downwards to maintain traction.
The arguments against the iPhone X pricing are applicable today and Apple has taken note.
The amount of people with 1,000 dollars of disposable income is less than the amount of people with 500 dollars of disposable income. Far less.
That doesn't mean you can't price as high as you want on certain models. Everybody does that and Apple was late to that party.
Huawei is reportedly shipping 100,000 of its foldable phones a month in China alone. It is not considered a 'volume' product and is very difficult to manufacture but I imagine the Samsung Galaxy Fold has performed equally well or better.
That is pretty good considering all the doubts about durability of folding phones.
I wonder if a folding phone could have a similar effect on regular tablets if prices ever made them an affordable alternative?