{"id":595342,"date":"2026-09-09T20:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/595342\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T20:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:54:17","slug":"apple-unveils-its-first-foldable-iphone-nz-pricing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/595342\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple unveils its first foldable iPhone, NZ pricing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo.<\/p>\n

The company’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1, introduced the latest line-up at the Steve Jobs Theatre. <\/p>\n

After cycling through other updates to the iPhone, the Apple Watch and AirPods along with artificial intelligence advances, Ternus told the audience that “actually there is one more thing,” in a nod to the trademark phrase from Jobs that Jobs himself borrowed from the 1970s detective show Columbo.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The iPhone Duo is displayed (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Called Duo, the phone has the “largest display ever on an iPhone, yet fits into your pocket,” Ternus said.<\/p>\n

The phone opens to a 7.6 inch display that is 80% larger than the newest iPhone 18 Pro. It will let people use an Apple Pencil on the phone, a capability previously reserved to iPad users.<\/p>\n

Duo, Ternus said “will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone”. <\/p>\n

The Duo also lets users split the screen to use two different apps on the device, or two windows the same website for things like comparison shopping.<\/p>\n

New iPhone 18 models<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Apple CEO John Ternus speaks during an announcement of new products in Cupertino, California. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, Ternus said, bring improvements to the battery, camera, and performance. They will start at US$1199 and US$1299, respectively. The Duo starts at US$1999. Customers can pre-order the phones starting on September 12 and they will be available on September 18, although the Duo will be available on October 23.<\/p>\n

In New Zealand, the Duo starts from $4,199 and will be available from October 23. A two-terabyte model will cost from $6599.<\/p>\n

The 18 Pro will cost from $2,549 in NZ and is available from later this month. <\/p>\n

The new models feature a long battery life \u2014 45 hours of video playback for the Pro Max \u2014 and faster charging. The camera offers what Apple called \u201ccinematic effects\u201d from regular video captured on the phone, as well as new options for manual controls and \u201csmart focus tracking,\u201d which lets users focus on a single moving subject, such as a kid during a soccer game.<\/p>\n

Apple is also focusing on Siri’s new AI capabilities with the new phones, emphasising privacy and security to stand apart from rivals who are further along in incorporating AI.<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Apple CEO John Ternus speaks during an announcement of new products in Cupertino, California. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Many of Apple\u2019s biggest rivals, such as Samsung, Motorola and Google, have already come out with foldable smartphones. But Apple is not one to rush on new technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foldable launch is straight out of Apple\u2019s playbook: Wait for the product to work out its kinks and for the market to offer glimpses of viability, then enter and shape the category,\u201d said Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee. \u201cThe difference is that foldables still represent a minuscule share of the smartphone market. The test of Apple\u2019s ambition will be whether it can expand that niche into a meaningful new segment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Compared with earlier generations, the iPhone 18 costs about $100 more due partly to a global memory chip shortage. The iPhone 17’s price ranges from US$799 to US$1999 depending on the model.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Apple unveiled artificial intelligence advances, including upgrades to its Siri assistant, emphasising a focus on privacy and day-to-day use as the company tries to catch up with rivals on AI.<\/p>\n

Ternus takes centre stage<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Apple CEO John Ternus speaks during an announcement of new products in Cupertino, California. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The keynote address for Ternus at the tech giant\u2019s headquarters in Cupertino, California, will set the tone for his vision of Apple’s future, Chatterjee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn Ternus inherits perhaps the most successful consumer technology juggernaut in modern times. That is both a boon and a burden for him. Tim Cook\u2019s perfected execution, scale, and monetization set a high bar, and Ternus must extend that run,\u201d Chatterjee said. \u201cBut he must sustain that momentum while positioning Apple to disrupt itself in the near future, when the iPhone, or any smartphone for that matter, will cease to be the consumer\u2019s primary conduit to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s iPhone 17 lineup, which included a new ultra-thin model, has been selling well. That generation saw a new slimmed-down model that adopted the \u201cAir\u201d name that Apple already used for its sleekest iPads and Mac computers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Apple unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo. The company’s new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[111,139,64,69,145],"class_list":["post-595342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-north-america","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}