Apple launches its first foldable mobile phones as part of a new generation of electronic products

Washington, Sept 9 (KUNA) — The American technology giant Apple Inc. launched its latest lineup of products on Wednesday, headlined by the foldable “iPhone Flip,” marking the most significant change to the iPhone in its nearly 20-year history. The announcement came at Apple’s annual fall event held in California, which was the first under John Ternus in his role as chief executive officer, succeeding Tim Cook earlier this month.

During his presentation outlining Apple’s vision for the future, Ternus described the iPhone as “the best personal device for artificial intelligence technologies, given its already robust privacy protections.”

The launch of the iPhone Flip, scheduled for release on September 18, positions the tech giant in the foldable smartphone market alongside Samsung and Google, which introduced similar devices in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The new phone features a passport-like design that opens and closes like a book, with a 4.5-inch display on the outer surface. When unfolded, it reveals a larger 7.6-inch inner screen.

The device automatically adjusts app layouts based on its orientation. For example, when folded in half while watching a video, the top half displays the content while the bottom half shows playback controls. In the Zoom app, the upper part of the screen shows the shared call interface, while the lower part displays the participant list.

Apple also announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, along with an enhanced version of its voice assistant, Siri, now called “Siri AI,” which functions as a personal conversational AI assistant for users. Additionally, the company unveiled two new models of the Apple Watch and the latest AirPods.

Apple’s iPhone segment generated $54.25 billion in revenue in the third quarter of the current fiscal year, a 22 percent increase that surpassed analysts’ expectations of $53.86 billion. (End) R.S.R./S.A.M.