In an interview with Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ), Apple's design leaders shared about the development process of iPhone Duo, from external design, hinge mechanisms to interface and user experience.
Inspired by notebooks
According to Molly Anderson - Apple's Vice President of Industrial Design, familiar notebooks are one of the inspirations when the company develops iPhone Duo. Apple wants to create a device with a large display space but still compact enough for users to easily carry.
The size of the iPhone Duo is inspired by the international A-series paper system. Thanks to that, the device has a suitable size ratio when closed and opened.
Apple also focuses on the hinge mechanism. Anderson said that the hinge resistance is adjusted in stages. When opening the device, the hinge helps users operate easily, then keeps the device stable in an open and flat state.
Interface designed for two screens
Steve Lemay - Vice President of User Interface Design at Apple said that the group's goal is to create the feeling that users are expanding the phone in their hand, instead of switching to a completely different device.
Therefore, Apple maintains the position and recognition of the control buttons when users turn on the device. The transition effect is designed so that the inner screen seems to gradually expand from the outer screen.
According to Lemay, this design helps the iPhone Duo bring a seamless experience, instead of creating the feeling of two devices being paired together.
The interface of iPhone Duo is also influenced by Macs, iPads and existing iPhone models. Lemay believes that the product is a combination of the strengths in the experience of these devices.
The Apple design team also expects the way users use iPhone Duo to continue to change after the product is sold. According to Lemay, developers can create ways of using that the Apple team has not predicted before. Some new ideas may impact the development of folding phones and shape iPhone Duo versions in the future.
