Apple’s Foldable iPad Might Just Be a ‘Wacky Experiment’
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When September arrives, John Ternus will likely begin his official tenure as Apple’s new CEO with a huge bang as he takes the helm only days before the unveiling of the first foldable iPhone. However, that groundbreaking new device might just be the only Apple foldable we ever see.
Thanks to an always-prolific rumor mill, there aren’t too many mysteries about what we can expect from the so-called “iPhone Fold.” In fact, the biggest unknown is likely just the name. Like nearly everyone else, we’ve been using the name “iPhone Fold” simply for lack of anything else to call it, but recent reports have pointed to “iPhone Ultra” as an equally likely contender.
However, there’s also plenty of reason to believe it could be neither of those. After all, some suggest Apple wouldn’t use “Fold” as Samsung has already marked that territory with its Galaxy Z series devices, but it’s not like “Ultra” isn’t also taken, and it would be even more unusual for Apple to use the name of Samsung’s competitor to the iPhone Pro Max. At this point we’re leaving plenty of room for Apple to surprise us. After all, the MacBook Neo name felt like it came out of nowhere — and that’s likely the first product name to be determined primarily by Apple’s soon-to-be-new CEO, who presided over its launch in his role as senior vice president of hardware engineering.
Nevertheless, while the foldable iPhone will almost certainly break major new ground in the iPhone lineup, another long-rumored device that’s been said to be years away may no longer be coming at all.
The Saga of the ‘iPad Fold’
Apple reportedly began working on a 5G foldable iPad in 2019, years before we started to hear anything reliable about a foldable iPhone. Many believe this was even now the company began its foray into foldables. However, as iPhone rumors began to solidify, Apple also appeared to slow down on the “iPad Fold.”
Most of these reports came from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who noted that Apple was hitting “development hurdles” and a project price tag somewhere north of $3,000. As of October, those challenges had reportedly pushed it into “2029 or later,” but now Gurman says it may never see the light of day, despite being a priority for Ternus.
Apple has been working on a roughly 20-inch foldable iPad. This device has been a Ternus priority but may end up being a wacky experiment that doesn’t see the light of day, according to several people who have worked on it.
Mark Gurman
Per Gurman’s October report, Apple was struggling with the complexities of an 18-inch foldable display, since it was aiming to use the best OLED technology available, while also getting the weight down to something that would make sense. Prototype units reportedly weigh around 3.5 pounds, making them heavier than 14-inch MacBook Pro, and almost three times the weight of a 13-inch iPad Pro.
It was also never entirely clear how Apple would market such a product or fit it into the lineup. At $3,000 and 3.5 pounds, there’s little advantage over a MacBook Pro, especially if the reports of a touchscreen M6 MacBook Pro are accurate. While the larger 18-to-20-inch screen would make it larger than any portable device Apple has ever made, it would still sit in an awkward and pricey niche. It would still be too large to be pocketable, and you’d need to add a keyboard to use the full canvas.
That’s not to say that Apple has shelved the device entirely. We’ve learned to never say never when it comes to most of Apple’s projects, but sometimes it’s simply a question of waiting for the technology to catch up to the vision. The “iPad Fold” may simply be put on the same shelf as Apple’s augmented reality glasses — a product Apple is very serious about making happen once it can reasonably do so.
Meanwhile, we’ll have the foldable iPhone to tide us over. While it won’t be for everyone, an iPhone/iPad mini combo feels like a far more practical product that’s likely to be well-received despite its higher price tag. It’s also quite apropos that Ternus will be the one in charge when it’s formally unveiled, considering that he’s overseen its development for the past several years. The real question is whether Ternus will do so personally or hand the responsibility off to one of his lieutenants, as Cook often did.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
