Apple showed off at an event the first major design change to the iPhone in almost 20 years.
Image source, Apple/courtesy Image caption, Critics say Apple has not meaningfully changed the design of the iPhone since its initial release in 2007
John Ternus has entered his second week as Apple's chief executive and the company has revealed the first major change to the iPhone since it was released almost 20 years ago.
Ternus, who took on Apple's top job after Tim Cook stepped down , was onstage on Wednesday at the company's annual product release event in front of huge images of the first foldable iPhone.
With a book-style format, the new iPhone, dubbed the Duo, is the largest ever size of the product. And with a US starting price of $1,999 (£1,475) going up to $3,200, it is also the most expensive. UK prices start at £1,999.
Ternus said the Duo was "inspired by the iPad" but called the folding features "fluid and completely intuitive."
The foldable phone has been a work-in-progress inside Apple for several years.
When unfolded, the new Duo has the look of a small iPad. When folded in half, it has the look of a wider iPhone.
Ternus said during the event that Apple wanted to avoid the look and feel of other foldable smart phones on the market, which he said "feel like two phones stuck together... making a larger screen feel much smaller."
The Duo, he said, is the "result of a series of remarkable innovations that we think will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone."
Ternus was directly involved in developing the foldable iPhone as he spent many years as a top executive inside Apple's hardware division before being tapped earlier this year as Cook's successor.
Image source, Apple/courtesy Image caption, The new foldable iPhone can operate in two forms.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at technology research firm FDM, said it was likely Ternus's promotion was timed specifically "to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years".
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended the Wednesday presentation, said the spotlight on Ternus made it feel "almost like he was a product himself."
Altering the design of the iPhone may address some criticism that Apple has yet to land a major product hit or truly exciting innovation since the first iPhone came out in 2007.
"The foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth," said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via BBC Business.
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