Expected by 2025, then postponed by a few months, it now seems that Apple has further postponed the launch of the first foldable iPhone. The Korean site Alpha Biz claims to have spoken to a manager of the company who explained how the delay, from 2025 to 2026 and finally to the beginning of 2027, is mainly due to the supply of flexible panels, in a market that is still "immature" according to the Cupertino giant. The delay in the supply chain of the displays, however, would not have influenced that of the other components of the foldable iPhone too much, so much so that Apple would have moved part of the team currently working on the VisionPro viewer to the mobile phone which should compete with Samsung and its line of Galaxy Fold and GalaxyFlip. Last month, an analysis by the market agency TrendForce reported a strong rise in the foldable device sector. According to analysts, 25% more models were shipped in 2023 compared to 2022, with a still meager representation, equal to 1.4%, of the overall smartphone market. In 2024, the situation is expected to rise further, with expected growth of 11% and an increase in market share to 1.5%. The panels of the foldable iPhone are expected to be provided by LgDisplay and Samsung Display. Apple is also obtaining several patents relating to flexible displays although, as often happens in these cases, it could only create one type, leaving other technical experiments behind.
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