Apple Execs Explain iPhone Duo’s Display Design

In a joint interview with Tom's Guide and new Apple CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak explained why the company waited until now to release a foldable, its design philosophy, and how it kept the iPhone Duo under wraps. Ternus said the timing always comes down to when a product idea meets Apple's bar "for quality and durability, but also for design." He said the device "was like a greenfield of opportunity for us because it was an opportunity to rethink so many different things." Apple took a hard look at what other foldable makers were offering and felt it "wasn't particularly inspiring," said Joswiak, adding that Apple's approach was "twofold – no pun… Second, Apple worked on the software to make the Duo "unlike any foldable that's out there." As for the foldable display, Ternus said the inner screen's top layer is polymer, not glass, which meant devising an entirely new way of making Apple's nano-texture finish.

Rival displays, he said, are "kind of cheap-feeling plastic surfaces. They don't feel good to touch, they're kind of wavy, wrinkly." "The nano-texture just wipes that all out," he added. "It's beautifully flat.

It feels amazing to touch and it's incredibly durable." Joswiak said he is "super proud" that Apple kept the project relatively secret: "We put the extra security on it. We didn't talk about it to anybody. We had a very funny code name, which I won't even repeat, that had nothing to do with it.

But we said we're going to keep this one extra secret because, look, people knew through leaks that we were working on a foldable." Leakers did get the aspect ratio right, Joz conceded. "There were a lot of coincidental instances of people finding that an interesting aspect ratio. And this is when we said, okay, we're going to really keep this one locked down – and it worked." As for the $1,999 starting price, Ternus mused: "Yes, it's more expensive than the other phones, but we think it's great value." Joz added: "It's called iPhone Duo for a reason.

Following this week’s Apple event, new Apple CEO John Ternus and marketing SVP Greg Joswiak sat down for an interview to talk more about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. In the interview with Tom’s Guide and Ternus and Joswiak discussed why Apple decided that now was the time to enter the foldable market.

Ternus also touched on his feelings after his first week as Apple CEO. Hands-on with the foldable iPhone Duo [Gallery] Chance Miller.

It's like two products." You can watch the full interview via the embedded video above or on the YouTube website. Pre-orders for the iPhone Duo begin Friday, October 16, ahead of an October 23 launch.