Rumors and rumblings about Apple"s ambitions for the foldable market have been swirling since the launch of the first Samsung foldable in 2019. Meanwhile, despite countless speculations, Apple has been hesitant to launch a foldable product so far. However, the firm might already have a foldable iPad under development.
According to Bloomberg"s Mark Gurman, a trusted source for Apple-related news and rumors, Apple designers are working on a giant foldable iPad for the upcoming years. As Gurman says, while the alleged product might move away from offering a hybrid iPad-Mac experience, it still holds elements from both devices.
Additionally, Apple"s goal for its foldable iPad is to get rid of conventional creases seen in foldable phones. Instead, Apple wants an iPad that unfolds into the size of two iPad Pros side-by-side. Apple"s product team could apparently design prototypes with nearly invisible creases. The alleged product has been under development over the past years and might finally make it to the market in 2028.
"It"s not yet clear what operating system the Apple computer will run, but my guess is that it will be iPadOS or a variant of it. I don"t believe it will be a true iPad-Mac hybrid, but the device will have elements of both. By the time 2028 rolls around, iPadOS should be advanced enough to run macOS apps, but it also makes sense to support iPad accessories like the Apple Pencil."
While the design of Apple"s foldable iPad remains a mystery, the Cupertino-based firm might follow Lenovo"s footsteps in Yoga Book 9i. Lenovo"s product has two 13.3-inch OLED screens working side by side. However, Gurman says Apple"s approach is to offer an integrated, unified display for an uninterrupted experience. This could potentially result in an Apple foldable iPad that expands to a massive 20 inches or so when unfolded.
Bloomberg"s recent reporting aligns with a leaked roadmap by market research firm Omdia released last week. The alleged roadmap suggested that Apple would launch a foldable 18.8-inch tablet/note PC/monitor in 2028 with an OLED display.