So, the rumour mill has churned out another date: Apple’s folding iPhone is apparently slated for 2026.

If you read the tech press, you’ll see endless fretting about "engineering hurdles" and "supply chain yield." This is the arithmocracy talking - the people who think spreadsheets explain human desire. They assume Apple is late because they can’t figure out how to bend glass.

Rubbish. Apple is late because they understand Social Friction better than anyone else.

The First Mover Disadvantage In Silicon Valley, being first is everything. In the luxury goods market (which is what Apple actually sells), being first is often a signal of desperation. Samsung launched the Fold early to prove they could. It was an engineering marvel, but a sociological disaster. Using one in public didn't say "I am wealthy and sophisticated"; it said "I am a beta tester for a Korean conglomerate."

Apple doesn’t sell technology; they sell the absence of anxiety.Rory Sutherland often points out that we don't value things for what they are, but for how they make us feel.

The Engineer sees a folding screen as a way to double pixel count.

The Human sees a folding screen as a potential point of failure.

A visible crease in a screen isn't just a refraction error; it is a constant, nagging reminder of fragility. It creates cognitive load. Every time you scroll over the bump, your brain whispers, "Is this the day it snaps?"

Apple waits until 2026 not to perfect the hinge, but to perfect the feeling of the hinge. They are waiting until the fold is boring. Only when the technology is invisible will they charge you £2,000 for it.

The Return of "The Snap" There is a deeper, tactile reason we crave this device, though. We have lost the ability to punctuate our digital lives.

Ending a call on a glass slab is an unsatisfying, friction-free slide of a thumb. It lacks finality. It lacks drama. You cannot angrily slide a thumb.

But slamming a phone shut? That is a statement. It is the digital equivalent of slamming a door. It signals to the room (and to your own brain) that the interaction is over.

We don't need a folding iPhone for the screen real estate. We need it for the emotional regulation.

Roll on 2026.