American technology company Apple has launched the first foldable iPhone in its history. The company’s new CEO John Turnus has unveiled the foldable iPhone called ‘Duo’ at the annual product launch event.

The Duo, which was recently replaced by Tim Cook as CEO, is seen as Apple’s biggest design change in the last two decades. The device, which resembles a book, has become Apple’s largest and most expensive iPhone ever.

In the US market, the Duo is priced at $1,999, while the top version is priced at $3,200.

According to Apple, the design of the Duo is inspired by the iPad. When fully opened, it looks like a small iPad, while folding it in half gives the feel of an iPhone with a wide screen.

Speaking at the event, Turnus said that Duo has been developed with the aim of giving a different experience from other foldable smartphones. According to him, many foldable phones in the market seem to be made by connecting two phones, which gives a limited experience to the user even if it is a big screen.

He described Duo as “the result of extraordinary technologies redefining the experience of using a foldable phone”.

Turnus himself was directly involved in the development of Duo. Prior to being appointed CEO, he held a long-term leadership role in Apple’s hardware division.

Technology analyst Ben Wood said that the timing match between Turnus’ promotion and the launch of the foldable iPhone is not a coincidence. According to him, Apple has adopted a strategy to install new leadership in addition to the company’s biggest iPhone launch.

However, analysts have mixed views on the commercial success of foldable phones. According to Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester, the foldable iPhone may be a product that boosts the brand’s reputation, but it is not sure to increase sales in a big way.

Currently, the share of foldable smartphones from companies like Samsung and Huawei in the global market is only about 2 percent of the total smartphone sales. The market share of foldable smartphones is expected to reach around 4 percent even after Apple’s entry in the next decade.

Along with Duo, Apple has also launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro is $ 1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max is $ 1,299.

Meanwhile, the company has also announced a new version of its digital assistant Siri, ‘Siri AI’. This technology, which will be available from the iPhone 18, will be able to analyze messages, emails and other personal information inside the phone with the user’s permission, answer questions, search for necessary information, and perform certain tasks automatically.

Apple claims that most of the features of Siri AI will operate within the device. According to the company, special attention has been paid to protect the user’s personal information and if necessary, the data used in the cloud will also be confidential.

Turnus described the new iPhone with AI as an “intellectual personal center” and said user privacy will be Apple’s priority.