There have been reports about Apple working on a foldable device for some time now. Rumors on this have ranged from a foldable iPhone to a foldable notebook device of the sort of a MacBook laptop. Now, as the South Korean publication, TheElec has reported, Apple is working on a foldable device project with the device offering a 20.25-inch display in the unfolded state. With that much of display real estate, the device could well be in the MacBook category more than anything else. Also, with the device offering around a 20-inch display when unfolded, it could measure around 15.3 inches when folded.
However, the project is merely experimental at the moment and might not lead to the commercialization of the finished product. Rather, Apple might be more interested in developing the core foldable display technologies such as the actual mechanicals behind the foldable display or the foldable screen itself before it decides on actually launching a product based on the same. Developing the right software that can transition from being a single-screened device to having an expanded display when unfolded is also something Apple would like to test out.
However, before coming up with a foldable device, Apple would rather like to see more of its devices make the transition to OLED panels from the current LCD displays. The report meanwhile claims it could be 2027 before Apple launches its first foldable device, which is a year later than the earlier estimate. Currently, only the latest iPhone and all Apple Watch models sport OLED panels.
The forthcoming iPad devices are believed to be next in line to get OLED displays, that too for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. However, that isn’t expected to happen before 2024. Also, from the information currently available, it is LG and Samsung that would be supplying the OLED panels. It is only after this that the MacBook line-up would be transitioning to the OLED displays, which however isn’t expected to happen before 2026, which again has been delayed from the earlier estimated 2025.
Further, since the iPad would be getting the OLED makeover a year ahead of the MacBook devices, experts opine Apple might be tempted to come up with its first foldable device in the form of a foldable iPad Mini instead of something in the 20-inch category that would be more akin to a MacBook laptop. If that is true, then we can expect Apple to launch an iPhone-shaped thing that would fold open to reveal a tablet -read iPad Mini – form factor. After all, that’s the segment that is more in vogue at the moment than foldable laptops, with Samsung leading the pack with its Galaxy Z Fold 4 or the Flip 3 phones.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
