Copyright 9to5Mac
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Apple will release the first foldable iPhone in 2026. Meanwhile, unforeseen circumstances seem to be defining development of Apple’s first foldable iPad. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reports that the hardware could cost around $3000 and not ship until 2029 at the earliest. The company has been working on the device — projected to cost around $3,000 — for several years and had most recently aimed for a 2028 release. But engineering challenges tied to weight, features and display technology have pushed its potential debut to 2029 or later, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple is working with Samsung Display Co. to develop the roughly 18-inch panel for the device, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work isn’t public. The screen minimizes the crease seen on foldable displays, matching an approach that Apple is also using with its upcoming foldable iPhone. In some ways, the foldable iPad project sounds less complex than Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone. As Gurman reports, the tablet won’t feature an external display when folded like the iPhone. Instead, the device will resemble a 13-inch laptop when opened, except display will replace keyboard, trackpad, and palm rests. One issue that makes development more complex than the foldable iPhone is weight, according to Gurman. He says the prototype device weighs around 3.5 pounds compared to the 1 to 1.3-pound iPads already on the market. The report comes on the eve of Apple’s next iPad Pro release. The new M5 iPad Pro features a number of changes like improved performance and faster changing, but the hardware isn’t especially splashy. That’s because it features the same external design as the M4 iPad Pro, although the current design is dramatically thin without sacrificing power, especially the 13-inch model. While the prototype foldable iPad would make a far bigger splash, it doesn’t sound all that much like an iPad competitor based on weight and potential price. Instead, perhaps we should think of this device as something more like a high end MacBook Pro — at least in terms of price and weight. Based on the 2029 date, Apple has several more years to figure out ways to improve the product.
