The iPhone Duo may not have been the first passport-shaped folding phone announced this year, but Apple maintains that its design was nonetheless copied by rivals ahead of launch. The challenge, according to observers, is that keeping product development under wraps is nearly impossible when Apple and its competitors rely on the same global suppliers.
Apple’s new chief executive John Ternus and marketing head Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak addressed the matter in a joint interview, acknowledging that details of the device had circulated widely before it was officially unveiled.
What Apple Said About the Leaks
“People knew through leaks that we were working on a foldable,” Joswiak said. He noted that competitors had accurately anticipated the aspect ratio of the device, alongside a number of what he described as coincidental instances involving people familiar with the plans.
The comments reflect a broader reality across the smartphone industry, where shared component makers and supply chains make it difficult for any single manufacturer to prevent design information from spreading. Because Apple and its rivals frequently source parts from the same firms, aspects of a product’s form factor can become known long before an official reveal.
The Passport-Shaped Folding Design
The iPhone Duo follows the passport-shaped folding format that several manufacturers pursued this year. Rather than a clamshell design that folds top to bottom, this style opens outwards like a book, offering a larger interior display when unfolded.
Apple’s decision to enter the foldable category places it alongside competitors who had already brought similar devices to market. The company’s leadership used the interview to underline that its own development work had been under way despite the leaks, and that the resemblance between its device and others announced earlier in the year stemmed in part from the shared industry ecosystem.
The iPhone Duo was presented at Apple’s launch event, where Ternus was pictured holding the device. The interview marks one of the first occasions on which Apple’s senior leadership has publicly discussed the extent to which its foldable plans had become known before the official announcement.
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Image: theverge.com
