Tech giant Apple has set the internet alight with what has been dubbed “the most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history”.

As the company confirmed it was heading in a new direction, announcing the departure of long-time chief executive Tim Cook on Tuesday (Australian time), fans and critics alike were abuzz with the idea it is about to finally catch up with its rivals and launch a foldable iPhone.

Speculation is rampant online that Apple’s latest innovation will be called the iFold (hello Samsung, Apple’s keenest rival in smartphones, which has sold a Fold since 2019). It will be wider than it is tall and reportedly open up like a book, giving users a large inner screen for watching videos, playing games, and multitasking.

It’s expected to drop in September, along with an iPhone 18.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman described the foldable Apple tech as “the most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history”.

“iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design,” he said in a newsletter in March.

This week, the rumour mill went into overdrive when “independent Apple leaker” Manjin Bu dropped what they said were the first pictures of cases for the new device.

Bu’s images show that the iFold’s screen will be almost square – something of a revolution for foldable phones.

Apple’s iOS 27 is expected to be optimised for the foldable iPhone, allowing for apps to be open side-by-side and for other iPad-like multitasking functionality.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expected the foldable iPhone to have two rear cameras, a front camera, and Touch ID instead of Face ID.

Further fuelling the chatter this week, Nine technology expert Trevor Long said he’d been sent “dummy” mock-ups of the next iPhones.

These have been produced by factories in China using leaked specifications from Apple’s supply chain. Third-party case manufacturers use the dummies to build accessories for new phones ahead of their release.

Long said the dummies appeared to show the “ultra-thin” foldable iPhone had “a design more akin to a passport … rather than a traditional smartphone that opens like a book”.

“This design allows the ‘opened’ format to be an aspect ratio more useful for watching video content, as well as operating apps side-by-side,” he said.

“A dual-camera system appears on the back, a step up from what was launched on the iPhone Air last year, and there also appear to be speakers top and bottom.”

Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) with his replacement, John Ternus. Photo: Apple

Change at the very top

More change is also tipped for the tech giant with the unexpected departure of Cook.

The tech giant said on Monday (US time) that Cook, who has led Apple since 2011, will become the company’s executive chairman.

He will be replaced as CEO by Apple’s long-time hardware chief, John Ternus, ‌as the company gears up for industry change spurred by artificial intelligence.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and has recently overseen its hardware engineering efforts. He played ‌a ⁠key role in reigniting sales of products ​such as Apple’s Mac computers, which have gained market share in recent years.

At 50, Ternus is the same age as Cook when he took over as CEO from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. He most recently showed the company’s iPhone Air last year, the biggest revamp of the iPhone since ‌2017 and a ‌key proving ⁠ground for several new chips.

Ternus helped bring about now-ubiquitous products such as ​iPads and AirPods, and will have to help Apple navigate a technology landscape upended by AI, after losing its crown as the world’s most valuable company to Nvidia.

“The promotion of Mr Ternus indicates ​the company will focus ‌on new hardware devices such as folding phones, glasses, VR devices and AI pins,” said Gil ​Luria, managing director of DA Davidson & Co.

Apple said Cook, who ​presented ​a custom golden plaque to US President Donald ​Trump, would continue to engage with policymakers.

-with AAP