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Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device Could Miss 2026 Production Target
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A full sized iPad that fold out into a massive iPad? Imagine the cost. Who is this product for? For artists? Would Apple make such a device for one small category of user?
What is when it is folded it is an iPad but when it is unfolded it is a Mac? Basically start the process of bringing the two platforms together. I long ago abandoned the iPad as I found it collected too much dust relative to my iPhone and MacBook Pro. I would love nothing more than to have the full functionality of iPad built into a MacBook. I would buy that device in a heartbeat.
Along with the iPhone 18 Fold expected to launch in late 2026, Apple is working on a larger-screened foldable device that could be a MacBook-iPad hybrid of some sort. According to one analyst, both devices were set to enter mass production towards the end of next year, but a new report now suggests the larger model is further away than originally thought.
In a research note reflecting on Apple's recent third-quarter earnings, investment firm GF Securities' lead analyst Jeff Pu said he expects "limited innovation" from Apple in its upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. Instead, Pu reserves his excitement for the iPhone 18 Fold, for which he has seen "intact progress" in the supply chain pointing to a release in the second half of 2026.
"On the other hand," writes Pu, "the 18.8-inch foldable device is likely to be postponed." The analyst offered no reason for the expected delay, but the report suggests the device will no longer enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026 for a likely 2027 release, as previously indicated.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple is working on a foldable iPad with a 20-inch display that will come out in 2028, while analyst Ross Young has said that he expects a foldable tablet-like device in 2026 or 2027, so it's safe to say there's uncertainty about a launch date. There also appear to be conflicting reports about what kind of device the larger foldable will be.
Pu believes the foldable device that Apple is working on will be a MacBook-iPad hybrid with a touch-based screen and support for macOS. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also referred to Apple's larger foldable device as a MacBook, while Ross Young has also written about Apple's work on a notebook with an 18.8-inch display. The Wall Street Journal said in December that Apple is working on a 19-inch MacBook with a foldable screen.
However, Gurman has referred to Apple's large-screened foldable device as an iPad, as has research firm Omdia. Whether the large-screened foldable is ultimately an iPad or a Mac will come down to the operating system that Apple is planning to use. If the device runs macOS, it'll be in the Mac family, and if it runs iPadOS, it'll be in the iPad family. Gurman has claimed that some of the design updates that Apple has made in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe to unify the operating systems will pave the way for foldable devices and touchscreen Macs, so a hybrid is also a possibility.
All in all, the details of Apple's larger foldable device remain murky. That's in contrast to rumors about Apple's smaller book-style foldable iPhone, which have recently been converging on a 2026 release.
Article Link: Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device Could Miss 2026 Production Target
This would make more sense to me if they were first to market with a foldable. I hope this means its going to do something that current foldables don't.
Even if I was pining for such a device, I'm sure the price tag would cause my face to melt off.
I've typed on an what was essentially an all screen laptop (I think it was the Yoga Book C930), and it was the worst experience I've ever had typing. I don't think any company will ever be able to pull this off.
An unannounced, unreleased, unacknowledged product will miss the prod release date set by a 3rd party?
huh...
huh...
"Now let's get out there and melt some faces!"
“The device Apple never said they’re making may not come out on the date we made up.”
I’m shocked.
I’m shocked.
Apple is in the predicament that you can't please everybody. In this thread and others, a number of conflicting sentiments arise:
1.) Why would Apple do something nobody asked for with no clear need?
2.) Why isn't Apple innovating, entertaining us with exciting, bold new cutting edge products?
3.) Apple gets too far ahead of itself - the Apple Vision Pro wasn't ready for the mass market, they should've waited till it was fully ready.
4.) Samsung has foldable phones; how dare Apple having waited so long without releasing a foldable iPhone?!?!
5.) iPads should be able to run MacOS vs. iOS and MacOS are fundamentally different and shouldn't be merged, or is a device made for one a good choice for the other.
They're too conservative or too reckless.
In the Windows world, there are convertible notebook/tablet products; how well are they doing in the market?
1.) Why would Apple do something nobody asked for with no clear need?
2.) Why isn't Apple innovating, entertaining us with exciting, bold new cutting edge products?
3.) Apple gets too far ahead of itself - the Apple Vision Pro wasn't ready for the mass market, they should've waited till it was fully ready.
4.) Samsung has foldable phones; how dare Apple having waited so long without releasing a foldable iPhone?!?!
5.) iPads should be able to run MacOS vs. iOS and MacOS are fundamentally different and shouldn't be merged, or is a device made for one a good choice for the other.
They're too conservative or too reckless.
In the Windows world, there are convertible notebook/tablet products; how well are they doing in the market?
For a second there I was worried they meant the folding phone had been delayed. As long as that is still coming next year then it's all good.
A foldable phone might have some market, but a foldable tablet or laptop? You’re right, it’s a stupid idea and seems desperate, like they are grasping at straws for a new product line.
You all miss the point. I can totally see myself with this folding iPad and reading an e-book on the porch. When a fly lands on my screen, I can slam my iPad shut. muahahahaha....
No. Being a major play in the tech. industry, Apple gets a lot of scrutiny and 'arm chair quarterbacking' in varied settings, including the MacRumors forum. While differences in what individuals would like to see are expected, Apple is often criticized because it's not going in this direction or that direction, and some of those criticisms are in direct conflict. Since there's speculation this product may be a MacOS/iOS hybrid device, analogous to a Windows notebook/tablet convertible, it makes sense to ask how that segment of the Windows PC market is doing, since it might shed some light on how successful a foldable tablet with MacBook functionality might be on the Windows side.
On the other hand, a post doing nothing but expressing contemptuous disdain for someone else's contribution?
You also posted:
An enormously financially successful company with tremendous brand recognition and products that often get high praise. But...tell us what you think a 'competent' Apple ought to be doing? What are your ideas?
I think you mean "were set." The period goes inside the quotation marks, since you were trying to be grammatically correct. lol
What I'd love to see from Apple is a "foldable" MacBook Pro - i.e. a regular 16" MBP, but with two additional screens that can unfold to the left/right of the main display. I've been waiting for Apple to re-introduce a 17+" laptop, but I guess I guess that won't happen. And three 16" screens would be nirvana for digital nomads like myself.