Why Is the iPhone Duo?

Brian X. Chen, New York Times: But even though they’ve been around for years, foldable phones aren’t particularly popular. They’re expensive, awkward and not as durable as regular smartphones. So why did Apple build one? […] Foldable phones, which account for less than 2 percent of the handset market, may be the only part of the phone industry that will grow this year. IDC said it expected the chip-shortage-induced price increases to contribute to a 17 percent drop in worldwide smartphone sales this year — the steepest annual decline in history. However, sales of foldable phones could grow 12 percent to 22.9 million because of the iPhone Duo’s arrival, the research firm said. It is worth noting Counterpoint’s stats blend book-style folding phones, like Google’s Pixel Fold and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra — yes, that is the real name — and regular-sized phones that flip in half. This is kind of important for the conclusion Chen draws, which is that this is a way for Apple to justify…