A new era unfolded at Apple on Wednesday with its new CEO unveiling an iPhone the size of a passport that, well, folds.
The device, called iPhone Duo, represents the most radical physical change to the iconic iPhone since Apple introduced the minimalist glass slab to the world nearly 20 years ago, kicking off the smartphone era.
The Duo launches the tenure of CEO John Ternus with a strong statement about hardware and product design. Ternus took over from Tim Cook at the start of the month.
While Cook was praised for his business acumen — Apple's market cap grew nearly 13-fold during his decade and a half at the helm — critics say Apple's gadgets haven't had the same "wow factor" that they did under the late visionary leader Steve Jobs, who introduced the first iPod, iPad and iPhone.
Analysts say Ternus, a mechanical engineer by training, may bring some of that back, having spent the bulk of his career at Apple on the product side.
And nearly an hour into a livestream introducing updates to existing product lines, like AirPods, Ternus echoed a trademark line that Jobs used before big announcements in product keynotes, saying "But actually, there is one more thing," before announcing the foldable iPhone.
"iPhone duo brings an entirely new design while preserving everything you love and expect from iPhone. It gives you the largest display ever on an iPhone while still fitting easily in your pocket. It reflects extraordinarily complex engineering, yet feels effortless to use, and it makes new experiences possible," he said.
Folding smartphones are not exactly a new concept. Apple competitors Samsung and Huawei have had products on the market since 2019, although early models were plagued with durability problems.
But being a market follower with more robust and crisply designed products has been part of Apple's secret sauce for decades. The first iPhone hit the market more than two decades after the first cellular phones were introduced.
The iPhone Duo opens like a book, with a 5.4-inch outer screen when folded, and a 7.6-inch internal screen when unfolded. It will start at $1,999 — $700 more than the entry-level iPhone 18 Pro, which the company also announced on Wednesday. It will be available starting October 23.
Apple also positioned the Duo and 18 Pro as "intelligent personal hubs" for onboard AI, anchored by an AI-enabled "Siri" personal assistant that the company said will be available in Beta in October.
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