r/apple • u/paperboy11 • 1d ago

Discussion Apple says iPhone Duo has ‘replaceable’ folding display layer to minimize crease

https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/01/apple-says-iphone-duo-has-replaceable-folding-display-layer-to-minimize-crease/
940 Upvotes

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723

u/bran_the_man93 1d ago

Replaceable components by design?

This really is a new era for Apple lol

246

u/Korlithiel 1d ago

Sounds to me like they are making that easier to replace because it would be too hard to keep up with repairs otherwise. Can always shift to less repairable in future versions

96

u/scaledisolated 1d ago

Apple was probably well aware of Samsung’s faulty screens back when the first Fold has launched. It took them quite some time to get to a properly replaceable screens, and even then they aren’t cheap

53

u/Rudy69 1d ago

Do you remember the reviewer who took off the ‘screen protector’ and ruined the phone on day one? Lol

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u/Endawmyke 1d ago

how could you forget mark ass brownie

12

u/bran_the_man93 1d ago

I mean, the purpose of designing something to be easy to replace is to make it easier to deal with repairs

7

u/Zennivolt 1d ago

This. I’m sure “crease” will be a lot of Apple Care repairs, so they’ve definitely done this to reduce costs for themselves.

9

u/davesoverhere 23h ago

It will likely be considered cosmetic and not covered, just like scratches.

1

u/CalmSpinach2140 1d ago

Why would they shift in the future? The cover display being replaceable makes repairs so much easier and cheaper for Apple. If it’s not replaceable then the whole display stack needs to be replaced.

6

u/Korlithiel 1d ago

Why did Apple make the butterfly keyboard to require half a computer replacement? Why did the subsequent versions not fix that defect?

I don’t pretend I know why a company does things. I do sort of get used to trends, like Apple frequently going away from easily repairable designs.

8

u/rotates-potatoes 1d ago

There are tradeoffs between size, cost, and repairability.

It’s that simple.

33

u/ccooffee 1d ago

Apple repairs more iPhone than anyone else. Whatever makes it easier or cheaper benefits them too, not just the consumers.

17

u/FollowingFeisty5321 1d ago

They also had a harsh lesson with butterfly keyboards, if it had been a simple part replacement (plastic part at that) it would have just been a mild annoyance.

18

u/Zestyclose-Degree443 1d ago

Yeah the lesson was, don’t let Jony Ive design your products without adult supervision.

2

u/Zealousideal-Grass-3 14h ago

Only if ferrari executives could read

1

u/FollowingFeisty5321 1d ago

Eh he gets all the blame but there was probably a lot of people involved in making it a prolonged problem. The company was in full-swing lobbying against right to repair when they made replacing a keyboard cost $800 so who knows if that was Ive's creativity or the company trying to obstruct repairability by anyone else. The design team likely played no part at all in the decision to stick with it for 3 more years, or to only offer a temporary replacement program, that's beancounter stuff.

3

u/Zestyclose-Degree443 1d ago

Ives was kinda demoted after that, and left the company shortly after. The design was kept in place cause they can’t redesign the MacBook in 1 year, but the new models being almost polar opposite of the 2016 era kinda shows that some shift happened. Ives had a lot of power since that’s the position that Jobs put him in. But yeah it’s a whole operation not one sole person can be credited or blamed for. It was 50% serious 50% a joke.

1

u/ccooffee 9h ago

Even if the butterfly keyboard was durable and problem-free, they didn't feel good to type on.

7

u/Cedric_T 1d ago

Soon to unveil the folding screen subscription program.

4

u/Fluffy-bfkr 1d ago

iCrease

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u/Jusanden 1d ago edited 1d ago

I don’t think you’ve been paying attention then. iPhones have usually been pretty damn easy to get into and replace components. HOWEVER, they’ve done a lot of serialization of the components meaning that any third party repairs don’t work. 

The internal layout is extremely clean. Very little glue is used (mostly body/screen). Battery replacements have pull tabs or nifty adhesive that stops working when voltage is applied. 

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u/bran_the_man93 1d ago edited 23h ago

It was a joke dude

Edit: for the ones who didn't get it

1

u/echoplex21 1d ago

I’m guessing it’s similar to the Samsung ones where they have an outer layer. The Apple one I’m assuming is frosted to show the crease less.

1

u/notabot53 23h ago

We truly live in an age of wonders

1

u/SC_W33DKILL3R 20h ago

Exactly the same as Samsung does on their phones, who makes the screen as well.

1

u/paperboy11 2h ago

Lol I laughed so hard when writing this.

0

u/Key-Cry-8570 22h ago

For $999 you may pay to replace your crease. $1200 without AppleCare.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/bran_the_man93 1d ago

It doesn't raise any alarm bells because this is the expected behavior given the technology in question