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Apple has run into "more issues than expected" with its foldable iPhone that may set back its release, according to Nikkei. The engineering problems reportedly cropped up during the device's early test production phase and may delay first shipments by months, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.
"The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk," one of the sources said. "April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month till early may is extremely critical." Component suppliers have supposedly been notified that the foldable iPhone's production schedule will be delayed, and Apple is working to address the problems.
A foldable iPhone has been rumored since 2017, and Apple's biggest rival, Samsung, released its first one back in 2019. According to multiple sources, Apple was aiming to launch its debut foldable iPhone in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18. However, as we detailed in an explainer last month, "the project could slip into 2027 if Apple runs into manufacturing or durability issues, particularly around the hinge or display."
Apple was reportedly prioritizing the foldable iPhone and other premium models for its September event this year due to constrained supplies of components like memory chips. However, the foldable's engineering issues could throw a wrench into those plans. "Apple and the supply chain are working under a pressured timeline and the current
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 Apple partner Foxconn has started trial production on the iPhone Fold, according to Chinese leaker Instant Digital. Trial production comes before mass production, which Apple plans to start in July as long as no issues come up during the earlier testing stage.
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 Apple plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to weigh in on the App Store fee restrictions and contempt of court ruling levied against it in the ongoing Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle.
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NASA's Artemis II crew just set a new distance record in miles traveled away from Earth. The team of four astronauts are in the process of circling the Moon, reaching 5,000 miles beyond the natural satellite. That brings the total distance traveled away from our home to over 250,000 miles. Gene Roddenberry would be proud.
This broke the previous 1970 record set by Apollo 13's crew by around 4,000 miles. The four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency - are the first humans to cross the lunar threshold since 1972's Apollo 17 mission.
"We challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived," Commander Reid Wiseman said upon crossing the distance threshold. He also suggested that NASA name a lunar crater after the craft itself.
The astronauts aren't landing on the lunar surface, but are conducting a lengthy flyby that should provide clear images of the Moon's far side "that have never been seen" by humans. These areas were too difficult to clearly see by the various Apollo crew members. They'll also get a peek at a solar eclipse, though the crew will be out of contact with mission control for around 40 minutes.
"We'll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force," NASA flight director, Judd Frieling, said. Astronaut Christina Koch
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The moon is not just a barren rock orbiting the Earth. The Artemis missions could answer the great unknowns that the satellite holds.
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