Rumours of an iPad Fold popped in to say “hi” again this week, but according to one display industry expert, Apple’s first foldable might be a MacBook.
After leading Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he was “positive” Apple would launch the iPad Fold in 2024, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said he was “not hearing anything about a foldable iPad in 2024.”
Ross Young, of Display Supply Chain Consultants, then weighed in to say he too was in the dark over a potential foldable iPad, but had received word of a potential flexible notebook in 2025.
He even speculated that Kuo’s information about the iPad Fold may have been planted by the company who’d make the perspective hinge.
In a post on Twitter, Young said: “Have heard about a 20.5” foldable notebook for 2025, but nothing about a foldable iPad for 2024. Maybe this is just good PR for the hinge company…”
Kuo’s tweets on Monday suggested the iPad Fold could have a carbon fibre kickstand to make it more durable and lighter, which would be made by Anjie Technology.
Young’s comments on the folding MacBook are aligned with reports from Gurman around a year ago, which predicted a 20-inch foldable MacBook/iPad hybrid.
In his Power On newsletter last February, Gurman wrote: “The company could go with a foldable 20-inch screen attached to a physical keyboard or just have one side of the display serving as a virtual keyboard. I’m told Apple has indeed been exploring a dual-screen, foldable MacBook/iPad hybrid that would take the second approach. It would trade in the physical keyboard and trackpad for a fully touch-screen base.”
It is still believed the company has an iPhone Fold in the pipeline and it may just be that Apple is keeping all options on the table as it seeks to make best use of the advances in flexible display technology.
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