A foldable iPad looks set to launch early next year, which is a shock given everybody expected the iPhone to come first!
This new report comes from mostly reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (opens in new tab), who claims this new big screen is coming towards the second half of next year. But there is some bad news though… Let’s break it all down.
iFold
(3/3)Anjie Technology will be the new beneficiary of the all-new design foldable iPad. There may be no new iPad releases in the next 9-12 months as the iPad mini refresh is more likely to begin mass production in 1Q24.January 30, 2023
This “all-new design foldable iPad” is expected to be the next big addition to the iPad line, and while we don’t know much about it, we can piece together some current rumors and make some predictions.
First of all, Kuo has claimed this new iPad will feature a carbon fiber kickstand — a welcome addition that will enable you to use this slate almost like a laptop (think like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i).
And second, we’re hearing rumbles about Apple testing a foldable iPad that sports a display size of 20 inches. That report comes from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young.
Will this be a new iPad Pro with its potential notebook style of productivity? Will it be an entirely new model, maybe called iPad Fold? Whatever it is, all of this is adding up to what looks set to be the next huge step in Apple’s tablet lineage.
But don’t think this is curtains for a foldable iPhone, as Ross’ report also claims that Apple has just delayed this new smartphone until 2025.
No new iPads for up to a year
The flip side of Kuo’s series of tweets comes in the form of seeming confirmation that we may not see a new iPad in the “next nine to 12 months.” This is currently being driven by a focus on beginning mass production of the iPad mini refresh.
Apple is taking a “cautious approach” to iPad launches and shipments this year, following the prediction of a 10-15% decline in sales. But this new foldable option is expected to put the company back on track with increased shipments and an improved “product mix.”
This tracks with a previous report back in December, where the expectation was set to see a new iPad mini in late 2023 or early 2024. So beyond a possible M2 spec bump for the iPad Air, don’t expect to see anything new anytime soon.
Outlook
We’ve all been waiting for the answer to that billion-dollar question: when is Apple going to make a foldable iPhone? As it turns out, we were asking the wrong question altogether.
Going in reverse to what happened to the first generation iPhone (Steve Jobs made the call to take the capacitive touch technology to a phone and build the iPad later), it’s the tablet that will get Cupertino’s foldable treatment first with the smartphone being shelved.
