We Unfolded the iPhone Duo
On The Vergecast: A Deep Dive into Apple's Foldable iPhone, the Latest Apple Watches, and Running LLMs on the Mac
By Jacob Kastrenakes
Apple's long-rumored foldable has a name — at least for now. On this week's episode of The Vergecast, we unfold the iPhone Duo, dig into Apple's latest wearable lineup, and explore what it means to run large language models locally on the Mac.
As of 2026, Apple's foldable ambitions have shifted from rumor to reality. The iPhone Duo represents Cupertino's first serious entry into the foldable form factor, a market Samsung, Google, and a wave of Chinese manufacturers have been iterating on for years. The question now isn't whether Apple would make a foldable — it's whether Apple's take justifies the wait.
What We Unfolded
On the show, we break down:
- The iPhone Duo's hardware design — hinge mechanics, display crease (or lack thereof), and how it compares to the Galaxy Z Fold and Pixel Fold lines
- Software and multitasking — how iOS (or whatever Apple calls it on a folding canvas) adapts to a dual-screen or large single-screen experience
- Price and positioning — where the Duo lands in Apple's lineup and what that means for the Pro and Pro Max tiers
- The Apple Watch angle — the latest Watch models and how they fit into Apple's broader 2026 hardware story
- LLMs on the Mac — why running models like Apple's own on-device assistants (and third-party options) locally is becoming a bigger deal than ever
Why It Matters in 2026
The foldable market has matured. Samsung's Z Fold series is now several generations deep, Google's Pixel Fold has found its footing, and Chinese OEMs like Huawei and Honor are pushing thinner, lighter designs. Apple entering the space isn't just a product launch — it's a signal that the form factor has crossed whatever threshold Apple needed to see.
Meanwhile, the "LLMs on the Mac" conversation has become inseparable from Apple's silicon story. With M-series chips now capable of running increasingly capable models locally, the Mac is quietly becoming a serious AI workstation — no cloud required.
Tune in to The Vergecast for the full conversation, and subscribe for more deep dives on the hardware and software shaping 2026.
via The Verge