• @smeg@feddit.uk
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    12 days ago

    lack of a clear reason to exist

    Isn’t the reason that you can have a big screen which you can fit in your pocket?

    • @Ilandar@lemmy.today
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      12 days ago

      That concept doesn’t seem to appeal to anyone beyond the stereotypical “gadget geek” influencers on YouTube, who in some cases aren’t even paying for these devices. Most people don’t work on their phones, nor do they want to. Most people also don’t have the time or the need for a larger screen that they can carry around everywhere. If they want to use a larger touchscreen device, for common use cases like watching videos or drawing, they want to be doing it for longer periods in a relaxed environment. In which case, there is no reason to buy one of these expensive folding phones over a tablet with a usable aspect ratio and a vastly superior screen that doesn’t have a giant crease down the middle.

      • @smeg@feddit.uk
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        22 days ago

        Phones have been getting bigger over the years because people want to see more (whether for video, games, or just reading), the limit is that most people don’t want to lug a tablet around with them. A folding phone that provides a bigger screen and fits in your pocket doesn’t seem like a crazy concept to me, that’s why I’d quite like one (though I can’t justify the cost).

        • @Ilandar@lemmy.today
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          22 days ago

          Sure, it’s a fun thought bubble. I’m still not convinced it’s anything more than that at the moment (and the abysmal sales appear to back that up). Apple’s hesitance to enter the market also speaks volumes.

          • @smeg@feddit.uk
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            12 days ago

            I assume low sales are because they’re ludicrously expensive, which makes sense for early technology. Apple are generally slow to adopt new things, they like quite a lot of polish (and to come up with some marketing so that they can claim they invented it!)