11 AUGUST 2022 - So Samsung had its great big unpacked event on Wednesday, announcing a ton of stuff that’s probably really exciting to Android and Samsung fans. In the little scanning I did on the event, only one announcement caught my attention. According to a piece from CNET, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Z Fold 4 with a new camera, a modified design, and the “same $1,800 price.”

I was going to say, “Sammy is still trying to make foldable phones happen.” I guess that’s correct, though it may be the tech press trying harder - and who can blame them? I get it. Foldable phones are different. Some people who write about tech like different for different’s sake. They bemoan “evolutionary not revolutionary” because true-new means not staring at and writing about the same blessed thing for another full year. According to one piece from CNET:

Samsung sees foldable phones as being key to the future of its mobile device lineup. As one of the world's biggest smartphone manufacturers, Samsung influences the broader market.

Does it though? Another piece from CNET acknowledges that “Foldable phones have been widely available for about three years, but they still make up just a fraction of the smartphone market.” While updates to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are said by CNET to be “a step in the right direction,” the reports says it’s “unclear whether [the new features] are going to be enough to convert those who aren't already interested in foldable phones.”

Cult of Mac thinks not, it seems. According to their headline, “Samsung’s flawed, foldable Androids show why folding iPhone remains years away.”

Personally, I’m not here to bag on Sammy’s new phone. I haven’t gone hands-on with it. I’m not sure whether the Cult has either, though they have seen hands-on videos. The thing that bothers them about as much as the $1,800.00 price tag is the visible crease in the foldable screen. Open it up and there’s still a physical line down the middle as there would be on almost anything foldable besides fabric. “iPhone users won’t tolerate such an eyesore,” says Cult of Mac.

Eh. I think if the use case was compelling enough, they’d tolerate it. They tolerated the EDGE network when 3G was available on other phones because they wanted iPhone. Same with 3G when 4G was available and 4G when 5G was available. They also keep buying phones with camera notches in the screen on the front and camera bumps on the back - technical accommodations that have been derided by some, yet never seem to stop consumers from screaming, “shut up and take my money!” Personally, I’d like it if we never got to a foldable iPhone because who wants that when they can have Apple’s stylish new AR glasses, giving you everything a foldable would without the unsightly crease. Or the screen!

“Message for you, Sir…”

The push by Samsung or the tech press or someone to make foldable phones a thing reminded me of a story that’s been kicking around this week: Google’s attempt to shame Apple into adopting RCS for iMessage. Short for Rich Communication Services, a piece from MacRumors says:

RCS is designed to replace the current SMS messaging standard. It offers support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, bigger file sizes, improved encryption, emoji reactions, more reliable group chats, and more.

Sounds a bit like iMessage, doesn’t it? It does! So what’s Google’s issue? iMessage and RCS aren’t interoperable. The MacRumors piece says Google this week launched a new "Get the Message" website. The piece says the site:

…is aimed at addressing the "green/blue bubbles" issue between iPhone and Android users along with problems in cross-platform messaging such as low quality photos and videos, issues with group chat, end-to-end encryption, read receipts, and typing indicators, pointing out that these issues could be addressed if Apple adopted RCS. "It's time for Apple to fix texting," reads the website.

Of course, Apple would probably argue “it’s time to get an iPhone.” As would an editorial I read on Apple Insider. That site’s Andrew Orr recounted some of the same complaints presented by Google in favor of RCS. He then proceeded to lay waste. “Unlike iMessage,” he points out:

…end-to-end encryption is not built-in to RCS. Carriers and companies can add such encryption if they choose. Google added support for this encryption in 2020 but only for one-on-one conversations.
Like SMS, RCS relies on an active phone number. Texting gets tied to a cellular bill and can vanish if a payment is missed or because of other cellular network chicanery.
In iMessage, chats can be sent from a phone number or email address associated with an Apple ID. A SIM card isn't required for conversations with other Apple users.

The real swipe though: While “Google offers RCS communication in its Android Messages app as the default,” Google is almost as famous for killing products and services as it is for search. Not really, of course, but you get the point.

How’d We Get Here from There?

Why did foldable phones make me think of RCS? Because both leave me wondering what problem adopting them would solve for Apple. Are iPhone sales going to go up if you can fold them? Are iPhone sales going to go up if Apple adopts RCS? To the contrary, a piece from Ed Hardy over at Cult of Mac implies that Apple adopting RCS could actually hurt iPhone sales, since one of the key differentiators (blue text bubbles versus green) would be gone. Personally I doubt it, but it’s an okay argument for why Apple might not bother.

If the lack of whistles and bells is an issue, there is no shortage of messaging apps out there ready to bridge the gap. The Apple Insider editorial points out that WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger (God forbid) “support rich features that both [the iOS and Android] ecosystems can enjoy because they're using the same app.” If security is your concern, there’s Signal. Friends inside and outside the Robot Army have ways to solve these problems.

Could one see a future where Apple makes a foldable iPhone? Sure. It would be hard to argue that Apple needs to do so. Could one see a future where Apple adopts RCS? Sure. It would be hard to argue that Apple needs to do so.