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Innovation or Aberration: The Folding Phone Dilemma
Pop culture trends are a funny thing. What is en vogue today may not be in a year. Conversely, what was once popular and is no longer popular today may soon be popular again. Trends are a very cyclical thing. Look no further than vinyl records as evidence of this. Once the only way that we consumed music at home, vinyl was largely cast aside in favor of more compact forms of media throughout the better part of the last few decades or so. But now it has re-emerged. Not as the main listening tool that CD’s once were, but as a niche product for enjoying music as it was meant to be heard. Vinyl records are now trendy, the tool of the audiophile.
This fascinating evolution of the importance of vinyl has made me think about another old but kind of new bit of technology gaining steam in the public consciousness: foldable phones. Ever since the rumors were abound of Samsung working on a device with a folding display, the tech community was excited. And why wouldn’t they be? After all, we have been told that the phone has gotten boring. Every phone looks like the other. This must be the next frontier. But here’s the thing, if this is the future it sure feels like the past.
It would appear that the folding phone has three types of interpretations at this point. Small phone into tablet (Galaxy Fold), small wallet like device into standard…
