Apple's iPhone Flip or iPad Fold May Not Happen Anytime Soon

Apple's first foldable device might be a MacBook

As a response to inquiries about Apple's foldable roadmap, Kuo stated in an X post that tends to lean more toward the Cupertino company developing a foldable MacBook being closer to reality than a foldable iPhone or iPad is. Kuo claims this is based on “industry surveys” and describes how the MacBook Fold could arrive by 2027, which is about 3 years from now.

While there are no concrete details on how the foldable MacBook would look like, it added the device comes with a 20.25-inch folding screen which might refer to the unfolded state. Hence, this could suggest the MacBook Fold will be comparable to the Asus ZenBook 17 OLED laptop (review) in its form factor.

Kuo's claim is supported by the news outlet Nikkei Asia, which reported in December last year that Apple will launch its first foldable device once it has finished transitioning its entire iPad lineup to an OLED display. Right now, Apple is slated to announce the first OLED iPad sometime this March while it could only adopt OLED to the other iPad models after a year or two.

Before Kuo's findings, South Korea's The Elec was the first to share about the existence of a MacBook Fold in 2022. In the following year, analyst Ross Young lent weight to the possibility of an enlarged MacBook with a folding form factor, although both have a different launch window.

When can we expect to see the Apple iPhone Flip or iPad Fold? 

Recently, it was touted that the foldable iPhone has a clamshell design compared to a book-style foldable handset. However, it was believed that folding display samples sent to Apple didn't pass the company's stringent test standards and that could be further delayed.

For what's all this worth, the first foldable iPhone or iPad may only be ready after 2027, making Apple one of the last major smartphone manufacturers to enter the foldable foray by that time.

What are your thoughts on Apple not manufacturing any foldable devices soon? Will this be a reason for the iPhone manufacturer getting surpassed by its competitors? Let's discuss that in the comments.

Source: Ming-Chi Kuo on X