App-makers are having a blast with the iPhone Duo, turning it into a retro Walkman

The iPhone Duo, Apple's upcoming foldable smartphone, is already inspiring a wave of creative app development by programmers. These apps are transforming the device into everything from a vintage Walkman to a virtual accordion, showcasing the potential of the foldable form factor. This excitement echoes the early days of the original iPhone when developers repurposed its large touchscreen and sensors to create unique experiences.

One standout app is Duo Man, a music player that mimics the functionality of Sony's iconic Walkman. The app features a cassette insert slot and actual recordings of Walkman sound effects, including the distinctive clicks and static. Developer Vidit Bhargava, who created Duo Man during a four-hour hackathon, is a fan of the Walkman and saw an opportunity to bring its nostalgic design to the iPhone Duo.

The foldable feature itself is being utilized in innovative ways. In the San Francisco hackathon where Duo Man was born, 73 app projects were submitted, ranging from games to music tools and even a virtual pop-up book. The "Accorduon" app turns the hinge into the bellows of a virtual accordion, with the speed of folding and unfolding affecting the instrument's volume.

Meanwhile, "Crate," which took first place at the event, converts the Duo into a beat machine, using folding actions to control sound effects and phone opening to trigger musical drops.

Another app, "Foldtales," creates a virtual pop-up book by using the hinge to reveal castles, trees, and other objects as the phone opens. "Twofold" focuses on classic tabletop games, hiding each player's pieces within the partially folded screen, emulating the experience of playing on a traditional tabletop setup.

Riley Testut, a developer working on the "Duo" support for the iPhone, aims to make the foldable device resemble the Nintendo DS, a dual-screen handheld gaming system. Apple's foldable phone is released years after Samsung and Google's efforts, but its robust developer community could help it quickly catch up. The timing appears fortuitous, as AI coding tools are making it easier than ever to transform creative ideas into functional apps.

What remains to be seen is whether the initial burst of experimentation yields lasting apps and if Apple's foldable device captures enough market share to justify the development of these custom experiences.