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Foldable iPad reportedly coming before a foldable iPhone (updated)

Apple has been looking into foldables since at least 2018.

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Image: KnowTechie

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UPDATE NOVEMBER 4, 11:20 AM: The Elec reports that Samsung’s mobile devices department thinks that Apple’s first foldable devices will either be an iPad or a MacBook and will possibly come in 2024. You can read the original report below.

A new analyst report says that Apple is likely to release a foldable iPad before a foldable iPhone. CCS Insight thinks the larger foldable will come as soon as 2024.

That insight came as part of a more extensive report of future trends and products in 2023 and beyond. It covers digital communities, security, semiconductors, and all aspects of consumer technology.

Speaking to CNBC, CCS Insight’s chief of research, Ben Wood, said that “a folding iPhone would be super high risk for Apple.”

That’s why he thinks a foldable iPad will come out first, to avoid cannibalizing the iPhone range, Apple’s highest revenue maker.

He believes that any folding iPhone would have to be significantly more expensive than the standard iPhone ranges, around $2,500.

Apple would also have to nail it on the first try. Critics would come for them hard if any of the usual technical issues with foldables occurred.

folding ipad patent
Image: Patently Apple

Apple has been working on foldables since at least 2018, when a patent popped up for a foldable smartphone. We also reported on a 20-inch foldable from Apple, which could be either an iPad or a MacBook.

PatentlyApple also found Apple patents last year that were amended to discuss “a foldable display that will act as a laptop.” Previously, the patents had the nondescript “foldable device” as their focus.

The report from earlier this year mentioned a 2025 entry date into the market. That would mean a foldable MacBook, assuming that the predicted 2024 date for a foldable iPad holds true.

We could see a foldable iPad being popular. One of the reasons that users keep them at home is their size, so being able to make them half the size for travel is a big deal.

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Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.

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