Apple software chief Craig Federighi has acknowledged that the new iPhone Duo could replace an iPad mini for some users, as Apple begins to define where its first foldable iPhone fits alongside the rest of its product lineup.
Speaking in an interview with Marques Brownlee, Federighi said the iPhone Duo can “often fill that space” for people who previously used an iPad mini, while stopping short of suggesting that the new device makes the iPad unnecessary.
Federighi compared the overlap to the way people already choose between an iPad and a Mac, saying users naturally develop different habits for different devices depending on the task.
Apple introduced the iPhone Duo earlier this month with a 7.6-inch inner display and support for Apple Pencil, giving the device a much more tablet-like role than any previous iPhone. The foldable starts at $1,999 in the United States and £1,999 in the United Kingdom, with availability beginning October 23.
Federighi said he has been using an iPhone Duo for several months and highlighted reading as one example where the larger display changes how he uses the device. He described starting with content on the smaller iPhone display before opening the Duo when he wants to spend more time with it.
The comments provide one of Apple’s clearest acknowledgments so far that the iPhone Duo will overlap directly with the iPad mini. Rather than treating that overlap as a problem, Apple appears to expect customers to decide for themselves when the Duo is enough and when a dedicated iPad still makes more sense.
The company has also placed considerable emphasis on software designed specifically for the folding form factor. Federighi said part of the public response that excited him most was that people had not fully anticipated how extensively Apple would adapt the software experience around the hardware.