iPad with folding could appear in 2028
Apple’s rumored iPad-MacBook hybrid, once expected in 2026 or 2027, is reportedly delayed, according to a well-known market analyst.
Foldable symbol image: Apple recently gave iPadOS significantly improved window management – Does this speak in favor of a combination with the Mac?
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For some users, it would be a dream come true: a foldable iPad that is also a Mac. Apple seems to have been pursuing this idea for some time, and rumors have been circulating for years. But now it looks like it will take until at least 2028. This news comes from the usually well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from Taiwanese investment firm TF International Securities. In a note to investors published this week, he writes that the device is expected to be available in 2028.
One possible supplier is already known
One of the suppliers of components is General Interface Solution (GIS), which also worked on the Vision Pro. The Taiwanese company will allegedly build so-called Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) in collaboration with Apple's regular supplier Corning –, with GIS responsible for edge treatment, cutting, inspection and packaging. In his note, Kuo confirmed the date of an iPhone Foldable for 2026. It is expected together with the iPhone 18 in the fall, unless something else comes up.
However, Kuo is more pessimistic about the iPad Foldable, as mentioned above. Most recently, another analyst considered reliable, Jeff Pu from GF Securities in Hong Kong, claimed that Apple would release it in 2027. This was already a shift, after some rumor mongers had even hoped that the foldable iPad and foldable iPhone could be released in autumn 2026. Another Apple observer, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, is also tipping 2028 rather than 2027. A kind of "gigantic iPad" that is as big as two iPad Pro models side by side is being planned.
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Ticklish glass issue
According to Kuo, GIS is preparing its back-end processing for the ultra-thin iPad foldable glass. This could then be delivered between the end of 2027 and the beginning of 2028. The company plays an important role, as UTG is very susceptible to microcracks. In contrast to ordinary smartphone glass, it is up to four times pricier. The aim is obviously to make the iPad Foldable particularly durable. The first foldable smartphones initially struggled with major durability problems. This is even more of an issue with a large iPad.
Whether the device is really an iPad or a MacBook with a foldable screen remains uncertain. Apple always emphasizes that it wants to keep the two product lines separate, but is bringing the design of macOS and iPadOS ever closer together.
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