- Apple’s secret foldable iPad won’t launch until 2028, a report alleges
- The company wants to eliminate the crease in its foldable’s display
- Apple could also be developing a folding iPhone for a 2026 release
The Apple Vision Pro headset only launched a year and a half ago, but Apple is already looking for its next big thing. And according to a new report, it might have found it in the form of a giant foldable device that’s the size of two iPad Pros sitting side-by-side.
That’s the latest rumor from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, and it sheds light on Apple’s potential plans to enter – and, it hopes, dominate – the foldable market over the next few years.
According to Gurman, Apple is working to ensure that the foldable iPad does not have the crease down the center that has bedeviled other foldable devices. Apple’s secret efforts have resulted in a device that has a “nearly invisible crease” when opened up, Gurman says, although it’s “too early to tell if Apple can get rid of it altogether.”
Gurman believes this device will launch “around 2028,” which is later than the 2026 date predicted by analyst Jeff Pu. It could have a screen size of around 18-20 inches when unfolded, Gurman says, yet it is expected to be small enough to fit into a backpack when not in use.
And it’s not the only foldable Apple has up its sleeve, with the company also working on a folding iPhone. But before you get too excited, this isn’t expected to launch before 2026 at the earliest.
An iPad-Mac hybrid?
Over the past few years, Samsung, OnePlus and Google have released their own foldable devices to varying degrees of success. But the majority of the best foldable phones either comprise two separate screens with a large hinge in the middle, or have a single display that exhibits a deep seam in the center.
Apple seemingly wants to avoid both of those scenarios, instead launching a foldable that’s made up of a one screen with no apparent hinge or seam. And, given the company’s culture of attempting to be best rather than first, Apple is clearly happy to take its time and perfect its product rather than rushing to market with something substandard. Yet it also means that you’ve got a long wait ahead if you want to get your hands on Apple’s first foldable iPad.
Interestingly, Gurman states that the foldable iPad will blend elements of iPadOS and macOS, although it will not be a “true iPad-Mac hybrid.” This is because iPadOS will likely be “advanced enough to run macOS apps” by the time the foldable launches, Gurman says, but will also support traditional iPad accessories like the Apple Pencil.
Even though this device could be the closest Apple has ever come to merging the Mac and the iPad, in a way it demonstrates why Apple has never actually made this move.
A combo product like this will be incredibly niche and most people likely don’t need a single device that combines elements of the two systems. Ultimately, Apple wants you to buy both an iPad and a Mac, rather than losing one sale in the form of a dual-purpose device.
Still, iPad-Mac hybrid or not, it’s clear that this foldable tablet has the potential to be a memorable “one more thing” moment for Apple. Now the company just has to hope it proves more popular than the Vision Pro.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
