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iPhone Duo complaints become a leadership test for John Ternus

A South Korean report connects durability failures and awkward software to the hardware background of Apple's new chief executive.

Channel: KBS News ·

South KoreaStory of October 29, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of KBS News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 1,135,902 views.

KBS News: The news division of KBS, South Korea's public broadcaster. 3.7M subscribers and 12B views.

“혁신은 멈췄고 완성도는 깨졌다”…애플 ‘완벽주의’가 무너진다 [경제콘서트] / KBS 2026.10.28.

Things we can learn from the video

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0:32Reviewers' durability tests show screen and hinge failures on the premium-priced foldable.
0:51The camera interface encourages a horizontal grip that can put fingers over the lens.
1:21The report presents criticism that split-screen controls are less convenient than Samsung's Galaxy Fold alternatives.
1:40Ternus' hardware background makes the Duo's reception a leadership question, the report argues.
2:44Thiel criticizes Apple's post-Jobs innovation record as the report asks whether the problems signal deeper trouble.

John Ternus built his Apple career in hardware. That makes the iPhone Duo's troubled reception more than a product-quality question in a report by South Korea's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS News): it becomes an early test of his leadership.

Reporter Seo Young-min traces a contrast between the expectations surrounding Apple's first foldable phone and the problems demonstrated after its release. Tech reviewers' durability tests show screen and hinge failures. The device costs more than three million won, and the report says limited supplies have complicated Apple's offer to replace defective units.

The complaints extend beyond damaged hardware. YouTuber ZUYONI demonstrates how the camera interface encourages users to rotate the phone into a horizontal grip that can leave fingers covering the lens. The report also presents criticism that split-screen multitasking is less convenient to operate than on Samsung's Galaxy Fold devices.

Technology analyst Ben Wood expresses surprise, citing Apple's demanding approach to quality and product development. These are not simply complaints that the phone lacks a striking new feature: they concern whether familiar tasks work comfortably.

Ternus became CEO in September after leading Apple's hardware engineering division. The report contrasts Steve Jobs' reputation for innovation with Tim Cook's supply-chain expertise, then presents the Duo as a defining project for their successor. Author Patrick McGee puts the connection plainly: "The Duo really is John Ternus's baby."

At the launch, Ternus criticized other foldables as feeling like two phones awkwardly joined together. The report places that promise beside the Duo's usability problems, before including Peter Thiel's broader criticism of Apple's innovation since Jobs.

The video's Korean title, ""혁신은 멈췄고 완성도는 깨졌다"…애플 '완벽주의'가 무너진다 [경제콘서트] / KBS 2026.10.28.", frames the issue as Apple's perfectionism breaking down. Its central question is whether these complaints expose a deeper weakness or will be eclipsed by sales results. The report does not establish that commercial verdict.

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