Apple Foldable: 18.8" display for foldable MacBook M5 under discussion
Apple suppliers appear to prepare for a new hardware category that is due to go into production at the end of 2025. The foldable will probably be expensive.
(Image: Farknot Architect / Shutterstock.com)
More smoke around Apple's Foldable: The manufacturer is currently considering display panels in the sizes 20.25 inches and 18.8 inches, according to reports from the supply chain and market observers. According to one analyst, the first suppliers are preparing for mass production of the panel to start as early as the end of 2025, meaning that a corresponding product could come onto the market earlier than previously expected.
A 13" laptop when folded up
The display is intended for a foldable MacBook with an M5 chip, predicted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has had several deep insights into Apple's hardware plans in the past. The manufacturer is aiming for a panel that is as "wrinkle-free as possible" and is working specifically with individual suppliers to achieve this - not only for the panel but also for the folding mechanism. When folded, the 18.8" panel enables the classic design of a 13" to 14" laptop.
The material costs are therefore likely to be correspondingly high. The analyst speculates that the production of such a foldable will initially cost Apple as much as the production of a Vision Pro, which is sold at a price starting at 3500 US dollars.
There have been rumors about a foldable from Apple for years - from iPhone to iPad to MacBook. The only thing that is clear so far, for example through patent applications, is that the company has been working on the concept for a long time. The much bigger questions regarding suitability for everyday use, the operating system and the lack of a hardware keyboard remain unanswered.
MacBook Pro 2025 with OLED and touchscreen?
Observers expect Apple to launch classic MacBooks with OLED screens on the market in the fall of 2025 - and with a touch display for the first time. However, macOS would first have to be adapted for this. So far, Apple has made a relatively clear distinction between macOS, which is not designed for touch from the ground up, and iPadOS - although iPhone and iPad apps have long been able to run on Macs. With the introduction of the latest iPad Pro series, a debate has once again flared up about whether iPadOS is still far too limited as an operating system for such powerful hardware.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(lbe)