After years of smaller updates, Apple is reportedly thinking big by thinking thin.
The tech giant plans to debut a new iPhone next year that will be thinner than current models, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday (Dec. 15), citing sources familiar with the company’s plans.
The report said this model is intended to cost less than iPhone Pro models, with a simplified camera to cut costs, designed to serve as an alternative for consumers who want a sleek-looking phone and are OK with not having all the features offered in Pro models.
Meanwhile, Apple is also planning two foldable devices, the sources said, one that would double as a laptop and a smaller one that would be a foldable phone.
According to the report, both foldable devices have been in the works for years, though some crucial components weren’t ready, and Apple faces challenges to perfect the hinge that opens and closes the devices.
Sources told WSJ that Apple experimented with designs like having a display on the outside of the device when it is folded, but it is now in favor of an inward-folding design. The company is pushing to release the foldable iPhone in 2026, the sources added.
Jeff Pu, an analyst with Hong Kong-based brokerage Haitong International Securities, said that the foldable phones currently available aren’t thin, light or energy-efficient enough to meet Apple’s standards, which is why Apple has been slower to tackle this market.
PYMNTS has contacted Apple for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.
The news comes months after Huawei, one of Apple’s biggest smartphone rivals in the crucial Chinese market, introduced its own foldable phone just before the debut of the iPhone 16, which featured Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) offerings.
Richard Yu, Huawei’s consumer group chief, announced the launch on social media platform Weibo, saying the company had spent five years on what is said to be the world’s first commercial-ready, twice-folding smartphone, and what Yu dubbed “an epoch-making product.”
Meanwhile, PYMNTS reported last month that while the smartphone market enjoyed a recovery during 2024 after two years of sharp declines, Apple played only a small role in that rebound.
Data from research firm IDC showed rival Android phones growing 7.6% this year in Asia (excluding Japan and China), Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, while iPhones sales were projected to climb only 0.4% for the year.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
