Smartphone Makers Seek Foldable Phones with Flex Appeal
Mobile-phone makers think they have a solution to slowing sales: smartphones with big displays that fold up like books.
At least five of the world’s leading sellers of phones, including Apple Inc., have sought patents for folding models, which would mark the biggest design change to the flat rectangular slabs that have been ubiquitous since the dawn of the smartphone era a decade ago. At least two companies – Samsung Electronics Co. and Huawei Technologies Co. – have confirmed plans to release handsets with foldable displays; Huawei is targeting a release for next year.
Smartphone companies see such an innovation as necessary to arrest a sales slowdown tied in part to a lengthening cycle of device replacement. These days, consumers see less of a need to upgrade for incremental annual improvements in software, screen quality and camera capability.
In addition, creating displays that are larger but don’t take up much space in a purse or pocket takes on urgency as service providers roll out next-generation 5G wireless networks, accelerating a boom in consumption of video, virtual reality and other visually engaging media.
First, though, smartphone makers must overcome some challenges, such as developing a device flexible enough to fold in half that doesn’t sacrifice display quality and durability. Other hurdles include supply-chain limitations for the required materials, higher building costs and the ultimate commercial question: Will consumers want these phones?
“It will take several years to persuade consumers that these foldable phone factors will bring you good benefits, a better experience,” said Jusy Hong, a smartphone analyst at IHS Markit. Regardless, “the smartphone market has matured, and we need something new.”
智能手機(jī)商又出新招，開始研發(fā)折疊屏手機(jī)
手機(jī)制造商認(rèn)為它們找到了解決銷售增長放緩的辦法，那就是屏幕可以像書本一樣折疊的大屏智能手機(jī)。
蘋果公司等全球至少五家暢銷手機(jī)制造商已尋求獲得折疊屏手機(jī)專利，這將標(biāo)志著10年前智能手機(jī)時(shí)代開始以來無處不在的平面矩形屏幕的設(shè)計(jì)進(jìn)步。至少三星電子和華為技術(shù)有限公司已證實(shí)，計(jì)劃推出配有折疊屏的手機(jī)。華為的目標(biāo)是明年發(fā)布。
智能手機(jī)公司認(rèn)為，改革是阻止手機(jī)銷售放緩和設(shè)備替換周期延長的必要之舉。如今，消費(fèi)者認(rèn)為不太有必要為了每年改進(jìn)一點(diǎn)的軟件、屏幕質(zhì)量和相機(jī)功能而更換設(shè)備。
此外，隨著服務(wù)提供商推出下一代5G移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，加快視頻、虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)和其他視覺接觸媒體的消費(fèi)熱潮，創(chuàng)造不占用錢包或口袋大量空間的更大手機(jī)屏幕成為一個(gè)緊迫任務(wù)。
首先，智能手機(jī)生產(chǎn)商必須克服一連串挑戰(zhàn)，例如要研發(fā)出一款彈性足夠大、可以一折二又不犧牲屏幕質(zhì)量和耐用性的設(shè)備。其他挑戰(zhàn)包括：所需材料的供應(yīng)鏈局限性，產(chǎn)品造價(jià)攀升等等，而最終的商業(yè)問題是：消費(fèi)者是否想要這樣的手機(jī)?
IHS Markit智能手機(jī)分析師Jusy Hong說：“要說服消費(fèi)者相信這類可折疊手機(jī)將給你帶來好處以及更好的體驗(yàn)，將需要好幾年時(shí)間;不管怎樣，智能手機(jī)市場已經(jīng)成熟，我們需要一些新的東西�！�
