While making some of the world’s most powerful mobile and tablet devices, Apple has been slow to outfit its iPhones and iPads with much in the way of a radical redesign over the last few generations.
Meanwhile an entirely new form factor has emerged in foldables, with Apple being among the few major names that is yet to adopt it.
However, a recurring rumor surrounding a future iPad does suggest there’s something in the pipeline at Apple Park, and a fresh report has shone further light on what we could expect.
Apple’s foldable iPad: A giant screen that blurs the lines between tablet and MacBook
According to a recent Bloomberg report, while Apple is one of the last major tech brands to adopt foldable hardware when it does arrive, it’ll be far more ambitious than others.
Apple is expected to give its iPad line the foldable treatment, likely due to the touchscreen-friendly nature of iPadOS over macOS.
However, this iPad will be one like no other, essentially the same size as “two iPad Pros side-by-side.” Given its foldable nature, this would also mark Apple’s first entry into 2-in-1 computers, with the device able to function in a laptop-like stance, tent mode, and open and closed forms.
The result is similar to previous foldable iPad reports sprouting from an Apple road map leak from November 2023 which suggested that a 20.5-inch foldable model would arrive in 2026 with a carbon fiber kickstand. However, Bloomberg’s report points to both an 18.8-inch display and a 2028 release date.
Apple is still ironing out the creases
The pushback to a 2028 release date may be due to Apple’s work to eliminate the biggest downside of modern foldables: the “crease” that forms over time at the folding point on the device.
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s foldable will present a “nearly invisible crease,” suggesting that while its engineers have not completely solved this issue, but that Apple has made great strides to eliminate it as best as possible.
According to the report, “[Apple] wants the screen to look like a single, uninterrupted piece of glass.”
There’s no word on how Apple’s engineers have managed this, but it’s likely all down to the shape and function of the foldable’s hinge.
By adopting a tear-drop hinge design, Samsung has seen similar crease reduction in its Z Fold and Z Flip smartphone lines. It’s likely that Apple has spent some time in perfecting its own design, which may have already been revealed in a patent discovered by trademark sleuths Patently Apple in March 2024.
Outlook
A foldable iPhone is also expected to be released by Apple at some point in the near future. However, while that will be an iPhone-first, Apple’s will be the second company to convert the iPhone to a foldable after Samsung made an attempt in August 24, 2023.
That said, the company’s supposed foldable iPad goals are leaps and bounds from this and a giant-sized upgrade for non-laptops at least. While it may blur the lines between iPad and MacBook to a large degree, a giant-sized foldable iPad could open to doors to wider iPad adoption as a laptop replacement.
However, this iPad’s biggest limitation would be the use of iPadOS, with the platform a long way off from delivering the same experience for creative and productivity-focused tasks as a full Mac.
