With the rise of foldable screens and alternative form factors in mobile devices, Apple’s traditional designs are being challenged by many manufacturers. Is Tim Cook and his team preparing Apple to join the foldable race and blur the lines between the MacBook and iPad?
In his weekly newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes:
“I’m told Apple has indeed been exploring a dual-screen, foldable MacBook/iPad hybrid that would take the second approach. It would trade in the physical keyboard and trackpad for a fully touch-screen base…the device has been in development for the past couple of years.”
Which will, no doubt, get the geekerati incredibly excited. Foldable smartphones are set to be the mainstream (at least in the premium space) during 2022, devices such as Microsoft’s Surface Duo have challenged conventional looks, folding laptop screens are on the rise...
...and Apple has been focusing on the move to Apple Silicon and the overwhelming volume of software required to support that move. So clearly now is the time for Apple to innovate with the hardware?
Hold on a minute. When was the last time you remember Apple making an absolute and fundamental change to the look and feel of a product? I’m not talking about the addition of a notch to get some more sensors on the iPhone X, the removal of the iPod Mini’s hard drive and an immediate end of line as the iPod Nano arrives, or the eventual arrival of Qi wireless charging. I’m talking about the impact of something like a foldable screen to a large-format iPhone.
The modern Apple rarely leads with these massive changes. While there may be suitable screens out there for a folding iPad/MacBook hybrid, I think it unlikely we’ll see them on the retail shelves in the near future. I’m sure that of you visited Apple’s Research and Development department and had the freedom to roam around you would find such a laptop. You’d probably find quite a few iterations, with various 3D printed design chassis designs, sample displays, and a big connector cable running out the back hooked into a mac Mini that acted as the ‘internals’ of the prototype.
Just like Apple’s published patents (and yes you’ll find devices like this hybrid in Apple’s patents) something may exist and be working, but that does not always mean you’re going to be able to walk into an Apple Store later this year and pick up a consumer-ready model.
Apple’s going to be late to the party. It’s been late to every party. But when the 10,000 lb elephant arrives in the room, you’ll know it has arrived.
Now read the latest MacBook, iPad, and iPhone headlines in our weekly Apple news round-up...
Apple’s Latest MacBook Pro Rumor Sounds Too Good To Be True - Forbes
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