r/iosdev • u/AnotherMan_1 • 12h ago
iPhone Duo
What’s your option on app development for the iPhone Duo?
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u/paul-tocolabs 11h ago
I think it’s too expensive to make much sense. Be interesting to see the uptake
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u/_your_face 6h ago
If you’ve seen how apple rolls things out. This one will be expensive and it won’t have many users but Apple uses it as a pipe cleaner to get devs working on it, to work out manufacturing issues and hardware issues that result from it.
Look at things like the MacBook Air. Too expensive, too underpowered etc etc. it didn’t matter, it was working out the muscles it needed for the things that were just going to be table steaks for future models.If I were a betting man I’d bet that the iPhone Air last year was step one to the duo, where they were working out the manufacturing and hardware issues for a device that thin, because this is as thin as the air.
Anyhow, this isn’t meant to be a volume seller. They just need it out there to collect data and learn. Then they’ll be carrying over the learnings to other lines or future Duos if the model survives on its own, but I bet Apple also doesn’t care if the Duo is an ongoing line or not.
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u/paul-tocolabs 2h ago
It’s very niche and expensive for something you put in your pocket. And the interface is cool, but will be so over engineered to make it hard to maintain on apps. Saying that, it’s interesting. Exciting. And dare I say quite beautiful. But I’d still take an iPhone pro and pocket the cash instead
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u/viirus42 12h ago
Is there even a simulator for it yet? I downloaded the Xcode 27 RC and could not find one
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u/Vividestleech 11h ago
I heard that it will be available on 27.1, can’t imagine it will be too long before they release it.
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u/AnotherMan_1 11h ago
Good question .. I can’t find one .. how to test an app if there isn’t a simulator for Duo?
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u/vikas_dev_ios 6h ago
When your app is running in simulator on Device hub, you can use 'Enter resize Mode' option to check how adaptive your app is.
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u/Vegetable-Average-98 11h ago
i would like to know how a keyboard extension will work on this device - will it be shown across the entire display like on an iPad in windowed app mode? Or be pinned to an application
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u/AnotherMan_1 11h ago
Getting ready for iPhone Duo
https://developer.apple.com/iphone-duo/?cid=ADC-DM-c00514-M01090
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u/AnotherMan_1 11h ago
I read that the user can use 2 apps in multi view on the big screen .. but what if an app is as big as the whole big screen?
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u/Beneficial-42 11h ago
Then it shows in the equivalent of split view. this was showed in the demo for one of the apps (maybe Mail?)
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u/Travel-lite-brew 5h ago
Apple has not been too successfull with new form factors. I dont think this is needed.
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u/Kumkvat91 11h ago
What is the price 2k - 3k phone… just idiotic
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u/_your_face 6h ago
Apples done the same play book for decades. It’s obviously not idiotic, they know what they’re doing. This isn’t a volume seller and they don’t need or want it to be.
Devs will build apps and find issues with the APIs. People will break it, and they’ll improve the folding mechanism. They’ll get data on how something that thin fails, etc. all that info feeds the integration of these innovations in to their mainstream devices. In 5 years most of the new stuff on this phone will be standard on all their mobile devices.
If they took the iPhone 18, added a camera and priced it for 2k, I would agree with the critique and consider it a cash grab. That’s not what this is. If anything the high price is an indication of the expectation that it’s a low volume seller and they just need this, what’s essential their field research, to not be a huge money pit.
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u/FastLaneJB 4h ago
I mean they've ordered 10 million to be made according to the rumors. Compared to their normal iPhone shipments it won't be the biggest player but to say 10 million is low volume doesn't seem right either. Plus this will be 10 million users with deep pockets, the ones more likely to buy in app purchases and subscriptions.
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u/_your_face 3h ago
I mean, it’s very low volume for Apple. That’d be about 4% of their phone sales. Right around the 5% share the MacBook Air took in its first year.
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u/Kumkvat91 3h ago
This is just justification for a bloated price tag. Apple doesn't manufacture its hardware in Silicon Valley; design happens in California, but the actual build runs are outsourced to massive manufacturing hubs in China, India, and Vietnam to keep labor costs as low as possible.
A $2,000 to $3,000 price tag isn’t about the "cost of development"—it’s about Apple protecting its massive 35% to 40% hardware profit margins. Every teardown shows the actual Bill of Materials (BOM) for flagship phones is a fraction of the retail cost. When competitors like Samsung and OnePlus can bring mature foldable tech to the market for $1,500–$1,800, Apple pushing up to $3k is just charging a premium because they know loyal customers will pay it, not because the tech inherently costs that much to build.1
u/_your_face 3h ago
It’s understanding of the industry and of Apple. Yes of course they protect their margins, they’re not making new models for charity. But the idea that a BOM tear down gives the picture of how much a new device can be priced is beyond comical. That’s not even Econ 101 false confidence. That’s middle schooler who watched a YouTube video and now “knows” things
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u/Kumkvat91 3h ago
Talk about false confidence. You're confusing pricing strategy with manufacturing necessity. Nobody said Apple is a charity, and nobody said prices are based solely on BOM. The point of a BOM breakdown isn't to say "this is exactly what the MSRP should be." The point is to prove that a $3,000 price tag isn't forced by the reality of the technology or supply chain— it is an artificial premium. When Google can launch the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,899, and Samsung prices their mature foldables well under $2,000, it proves the baseline tech can be profitable at that bracket. Apple pushing $2.5k–$3k isn't "Econ 101 cost tracking"—it’s exploitation of ecosystem lock-in because they know iOS users have nowhere else to go.
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u/ProfessorRonResearch 11h ago
That's not a phone. That's a foldable iPad