Okay, Sure, a Folding iPhone

Nothing quickens the pulse of an Apple fan more than these three words: one more thing .

Steve Jobs used the catchphrase to introduce the original iPhone in 2007.

In his 15 years running the company, Tim Cook deployed it only a handful of times, including before his 2014 announcement of the Apple Watch.

Today, nine days into his tenure as Apple’s CEO, John Ternus said the magic words.

Apple’s next big invention, the company revealed at a launch event in Cupertino, is a $2,000 iPhone that sports—get ready—a “remarkable hinge.” This is the iPhone Duo, a foldable gadget that opens like a book to reveal a capacious 7.6-inch screen.

Billed as the most versatile iPhone, it can be used in folded or unfolded form, and in split-screen or full-screen modes.

The screen appears seamless when open, which is a clever engineering feat.

Yet an iPhone that blossoms into an iPad Mini seems unlikely to change many lives—especially at the price of a MacBook Pro.

And foldable smartphones have been on the market since Samsung popularized the category, in 2019.

In the pantheon of “one more things,” the Duo feels like a dud.

Apple also announced several other devices today, all pitched in superlative terms by executives to obligatory applause.

The most interesting might be new versions of the Apple Watch that will listen for sounds such as sirens and doorbells, take notes on your conversations, or play back the past 15 seconds of what someone just said to you. (Exactly how all of that will work, and how well, is not yet clear.) There are also new AirPods with improved noise cancellation.

The new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max—the ones that don’t fold—offer “the longest battery life in iPhone history and the most advanced pro-camera system ever,” the company said.

They also come in “a sophisticated and unique new color,” which is burgundy.