QuickTake: Apple's foldable future revealed - and its creepy Watch
iPhone Duo is the Nintendo DS you've always wanted
For the first time since 2023, I watched Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' September event live, which, by tradition, announced the latest iPhone lineup, Apple Watches, and one more thing. I was going to do something just on the iPhone Duo, Apple's entry into the foldable space after years of rumours. I should know; I covered a lot of it around 2023 to 2024.
But reading some impressions back and rewatching some of the event again has me thinking that the unveiling of the iPhone Duo, along with some eyebrow-raising features of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, made for an okay keynote, and nothing more. However, the Duo could be the best form factor for emulators that support the Nintendo DS.
iPhone Duo
If Steve Jobs were still around, the iPhone Duo reveal would have been far more interesting and impactful instead of an ad that began with an ant in a desert. Like how he pulled the iPod Nano out of his jeans pocket, I can see the Duo being revealed similarly. Perhaps out of his back jean pocket, and then he would fold it out and show it to the audience.
No matter though - this is the standard of Apple events these days. It gets to the point in an incredibly rehearsed way, with late-2000s-style transitions and USP lines in front of wooden walls.
At first glance, I like the Duo and the way iOS has been changed to fit the design. Using your thumb for the front display makes sense, especially now that the dock is on the right, although I wonder how that'll work for those left-handed. The inner display looks great, and I couldn't notice any creases. The fact that the camera is behind the display is a first, and I'll be curious how much detail remains with this choice.
And remember Camera Control? I don't think Apple did this year - not one mention of it.
But it also makes me wonder how well the Duo will be for emulation already. For apps like Delta that support the Nintendo DS, you'll have a great time playing games like Brain Age and Super Mario 64 DS when the Duo is in a slightly folded mode. But it's Apple Pencil USB-C support that'll complete it, something that's unique to the Duo. Instead of using your finger, you'll finally be able to use the Pencil for a bunch of DS games.
However, the one aspect I'm disappointed by is the lack of a telephoto camera. For a device that starts at $1,999 / £1,999, I want the same experience as a Pro iPhone - no compromises. I'm sure there are many out there who, like me, when looking at upgrading their phone, look at the camera features before anything else. This is why I'm looking at the iPhone 18 Pro as my next upgrade instead. So I'm going to see what the iPhone Duo 2 entails next year.
Apple Watch
The Series 12 and Ultra 4 seem to be a soft reset for what you use Apple Watch for. Instead of a focus on fitness, it's all about your heart and easier ways to keep track of your steps, which I like. I've always been a fan of the heart rate feature, so the fact that it'll be active every 5 seconds as you wear it will be very useful to many. I just want this to carry over to the next Apple Watch SE model, which still lacks the heart rate feature.
But it was the Audio Intelligence features that puzzled me, especially Live Rewind. From Apple's press release:
Live Rewind, which can help users recall what was just said in conversation. A double press of the Digital Crown shows the previous 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet, so the user can catch something they may have missed or are less familiar with. Users can ask Siri about the content of the text or save it to the Siri app to revisit later.
Creepy. It's irrelevant that these audio captures are not stored and accessed by Apple - that's missing the point. I can see various scenarios playing out like this.
"What are you doing?"
"I didn't hear what you were saying, so my Watch caught it for me."
"You weren't listening to me? Your Watch records what we've been talking about?"
Leaves the room
To me, it goes back to the Jurassic Park quote: Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. I'm not surprised this feature launches in beta later this year - I can't see it staying in its current form.
Overall, 'Surprise and Shine' was a fine keynote, but it's way overdue for these to be live at this point. The iPhone Duo missed its big moment at the start - seeing new CEO John Ternus reveal it from his back pocket live would have been a great reveal. But alas, I'm sure the device will sell well.
I also get the feeling that we're not done with announcements. The MacBook Ultra, rumored to feature a touch screen and be one of the biggest redesigns of Apple's laptop line, could launch in November after the Duo is available. But for now, expect to see plenty of impressions and reviews of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo for the rest of the month.
