Apple responded to questions over whether rival smartphone makers copied the design of its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. The company’s newly appointed CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak acknowledged that leaks had exposed some details about Apple’s foldable plans before the device was officially unveiled.
iPhone Duo arrived after Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi introduced wide, passport-style foldable phones of their own. This made the design of Apple’s first foldable look less unusual than it might have if the company had launched earlier.
During interviews, Joswiak said people learned through leaks that Apple was developing a foldable phone. According to him, those leaks exposed the device’s unusual aspect ratio, giving competitors an indication of the direction Apple was taking.
Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi subsequently announced foldables with similarly wide proportions. It prompted comparisons between the devices and raised questions about whether Apple’s design was copied or whether manufacturers arrived at a similar idea as the category evolved.
Apple’s supply chain also made the secrecy difficult. The company and its competitors often rely on overlapping suppliers, which means information about upcoming products can potentially spread before launch.
While Apple’s overall foldable concept became harder to conceal, Joswiak said the company managed to keep its folding nano-texture display technology confidential. He said Apple introduced additional security measures around the technology and did not discuss it with people outside the development process.
The display is one of the iPhone Duo’s most notable design elements, particularly as it is intended to reduce the visibility of the crease that typically appears on foldable screens. Apple also designed the Duo around a wide internal display and a matching outer-screen aspect ratio, giving the phone its distinctive passport-like appearance.
Also Read: Apple’s iPhone Duo is Here: Does the Foldable Finally Justify the Hype?
The discussion also offered a glimpse into Ternus’ approach to Apple’s products. Unlike former CEO Tim Cook, Ternus comes from an engineering background and previously led Apple’s hardware engineering team.
During the interview, he described his reaction to seeing an early prototype of the foldable display, highlighting his enthusiasm for the technology and the product-development process.
For Apple, the iPhone Duo represents more than an entry into an established market. The company is betting that its software, hardware integration and control over the developer ecosystem can give its foldable a distinct identity, even as several Android manufacturers already offer similar form factors.